Akatsuki Angel
by Sakucherryblossoms
Summary: He needed a new angel because the previous one had been sacrificed in the taking of Konoha. He needed an angel who could heal his men; even the dead ones.
1. Chapter 1

I hope everyone is ready for a new story! I know I should be finishing up my other, nine or so, non-completed stories, but I can't! I've had this story in my head for over a month now, and I figured it was time to get it out there.

**Summary :He needed a new angel because the previous one had been sacrificed in the taking of Konoha. He need an angel who could heal his men; even the dead ones.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

He stood overlooking the perfect vantage point. Needless to say it was beautiful; the destruction of Konoha was finally complete.

His ringed eyes scanned the vast wasteland, and they hardened. He had lost something very important during this conquest… his beloved, loyal angel was gone; Konan was no more.

He had expected some losses. He calculated the risks, and obviously underestimated the power and determination of the leaf-nin; knowing his choices had been the cause of Konan's death utterly upset him.

Taking a step closer to the decrepit village, he shifted his head slightly. In a flash, a large blue man appeared next to him. "Leader-sama?" The blue man questioned.

"Find who is ever left alive in this village," Leader stated while staring emotionlessly at the world below him. "Kill them if they are civilians; if they are shinobi, Kisame, rip them limb from limb. I want the Hokage, Kisame; bring her to me."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Kisame nodded his head, and with a slight bow disappeared into the village below.

* * *

She lay next to her mentor's side, and though said mentor was slowly dying, she refused to let tears fall; she had become stronger then that. With chakra hands glowing emerald, the woman continuously tried to heal her mentor.

"Stop it, Sakura," her mentor spoke as blood began to ooze from a large gash wound around her stomach. "Even if you were to save me, my village is lost… my people are dead; what good am I to anyone?"

"You stop it Tsunade," Sakura barked back as she pushed more chakra into her mentor's stomach. "You're the one who taught me to fight to save the ones I love; God damn it, just let me heal you."

"But-," blood began dripping down Tsunade's mouth. "I don't care what I taught you; the Akatsuki could be here any second. You should be looking for Naruto! What if the Akatsuki get Naruto?"

Sakura smiled slightly as she moved her hands from Tsunade's stomach. The job she had done would suffice, for now. She would heal the Hokage after she got them some place a little more safer. "Naruto is strong, Tsunade," Sakura said as her smile changed to a frown. "You're the one I'm worried about now."

"But Sak-"

Sakura flipped forward as she sensed a foreign chakra land behind her. Leaping another step away, Sakura turned to face her attacker.

The man was tall, blue, and wrapped in a black and red Akatsuki cloak. Sakura grimaced as she noticed the shinobi's long and thick sword.

"Are you a shinobi of Konoha?" The sword welder asked. Sakura smirked before a pulsing blue began focus around her fists.

"And what if I am?" Sakura asked defiantly as she stood tall facing the blue skinned man. The man smirked before slamming his sword into the ground in front of him; into Tsunade's almost healed body.

Sakura's smirk faltered, and she charged. Fists clenched tightly, Sakura sent one flying toward the blue man's face. He blocked said fist with his sword, but leaped away from Sakura as he watched his sword shake slightly from the blow.

"Fuck," Sakura stated while landing in front of Tsunade. Allowing one hand to glow emerald, she placed her hand on the newly made gash that adored Tsunade's body. Still facing the blue skinned man, Sakura began to heal the cut.

The blue man's eyes widened slightly, before he smirked. "You are the one that defeated Sasori," the Akatsuki member stated. "I have heard of you; Sakura Haruno."

"And I of you, Kisame Hoshigaki" Sakura spat as she finished healing the cut. Taking a step back, Sakura glanced at Tsunade, and let out a sigh of relief. She had been able to stop the bleeding, both externally and internally; Tsunade had more than a good chance that she would live through this experience. Her survival rate was at a high 77 percent.

Sakura's hand quickly flew to her pocket and she extracted a single scroll. Biting down on her finger, she did a few hand signs, before sliding her bloodied thumb down upon the scroll, and then slammed it hard down on to Tsunade's body.

With a poof of smoke, Tsunade was gone.

"What the hell just happened?" Kisame asked as his eyes narrowed.

Sakura stood slowly and sighed. "I just sent her somewhere safe," Sakura spoke quietly. Shifting her weight slightly, Sakura's fists were now glowing a deep blue. "Somewhere far away from here."

Kisame let out a dark roar of laughter as the pink haired young woman charged at him. Swinging his sword almost haphazardly, he misjudged Sakura's speed.

Sakura's fist connected sharply with Kisame's jaw because of his miscalculation, and he flew backward several feet. Watching Kisame drop his sword, Sakura smirked before taking off.

Racing through the village, Sakura tried to find any and all survivors. She knew that punch wouldn't keep Kisame down for long, she need to find reinforcements. Sprinting into an alley way, Sakura masked her chakra, and entered what appeared to be an abandoned building.

* * *

Kisame grit his teeth before trying to find the little she-demon's chakra. Not finding it, Kisame figured he'd just cut his losses, and find Leader-sama.

Sprinting back to the clearing where Leader-sama had been before, Kisame found the man, no God, he was looking for in the same location he had previously been.

"Did you find the Hokage?" Leader asked as his red ringed eyes darted towards Kisame. Kisame grunted before cracking his jaw into place.

"I had found her," Kisame stated heavily, his broken jaw caused his speech to come out slowly. "She had been critical injured, but still managed to escape. Her apprentice managed to heal her, and then the she-devil sent Tsunade away."

Leader's eyes hardened as he looked upon Kisame with a sharp glare. Instantly, Kisame clenched his chest tightly, and gasped for breath. "How did you manage to let that woman slip through your fingers when she was right in front of you!" Leader walked slowly to the kneeled over Kisame. Leader leaned over to speak into Kisame's ear. "You did realize Tsunade was the one to end Konan's life, did you not?"

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Kisame gasped out as he clenched his chest. Leader turned his head away from Kisame, and glanced down to the village. Kisame gasped deeply one last time, before his breathing began to turn normal.

"You said her apprentice sent her away," Leader pondered as his ringed eyes scanned the village below. "What skills does said apprentice possess?"

Kisame stood slowly before responding, taking a breath he spoke. "She was able to heal her mentor without even looking at the wound; she did this with one hand. She also managed to break my jaw, and then masked her chakra enough for me not to detect her."

"Interesting," Leader said as a slow, sadistic smirk began to grow across his face. "And have been able to locate the shinobi who killed Sasori?"

"They are one in the same," Kisame stated with a slight cough.

"Very interesting," Leader stated before turning back toward Kisame. "Take me to her; take me to Sakura Haruno."

* * *

Sakura walked quietly through the halls of Danzo's root organization. She knew Sai was already gone; not dead hopefully, but gone. Sai, Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji had been sent away on a mission before the Akatsuki had even arrived in Konoha. They were, of course, on a mission to bring Sasuke home. For once, Sakura wished the team had failed… they would be returning soon if that was the case.

Walking into Danzo's personal office, Sakura ignored the dead body that lay near the door. Danzo may have once been respected, but Sakura knew different now; he had been head hunting for Tsunade's job, even before she was named the Fifth Hokage.

Doing a few hand signs Sai had showed her, Sakura was able to open the locked drawer of Danzo's desk. Grabbing a few scrolls, she tucked them in her pocket before leaving the building.

The scrolls contained a possible forbidden jutsu that allowed one to raise the dead. Not just raise it, like Kabuto did, but actually bring people back to life. Sakura hoped that possibility was wrong, but she couldn't take the chance; especially if the Akatsuki found the scroll… that would be an even more devastating blow to the shinobi world.

Leaping from building to building, Sakura started to head for the village gate; she could no longer stay in this village. Landing at the gate, Sakura frowned when she felt a sinister chakra heading towards her.

Blinking quickly, Sakura pushed the last bit of chakra into her legs, and began sprinting out of the village.

"It won't be enough," Sakura spoke to herself quietly as she urged her legs to go faster. She could feel the sinister chakra; it was even more powerful than Orochimaru's chakra. That thought chilled Sakura to the bone.

Landing on a tree, Sakura quickly flipped backwards as a sword connected with the spot she had previously been standing in. Looking up, Sakura watched as Kisame lurched forward, sword tightly in hand.

Drawing chakra to her fists, Sakura parried the sword's blow with her fists. Hearing a crack, Sakura cringed slightly; she didn't have enough chakra left for this.

"You have no more chakra," a cold voice spoke from behind Sakura. Sakura froze as the voice spoke; that was the sinister chakra she had felt earlier. "Do not be foolish."

Clenching her fists tightly, Sakura slowly began to draw the last of her chakra into her fist. Turning around, she leaped towards the cold voice; her fist and head held high as she slammed her fist on what she thought was her enemy.

Sakura gasped as the enemy's clone turned to smoke, and a hand curled around her neck. Slowly, Sakura was being lifted into the air until she was eye level with the Akatsuki leader.

"I told you it was foolish," he spoke tonelessly. Squeezing Sakura's windpipe slightly, Sakura coughed slightly before shutting her eyes completely.

"Go to hell," Sakura rasped out as the man's hand clasped tighter against her throat.

Glaring deeply at the woman in his grasp, the leader threw her sharply into a tree; her body impacted through it, and she landed hard against a boulder that had been hidden behind the tree.

"If she is alive, bring her to the base," the leader spoke to Kisame as he began to disappear. "I have a feeling she could be of some use to the Akatsuki."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Kisame nodded as he walked to where Sakura lay. Checking her breathing, Kisame threw Sakura over one of his shoulders and began sprinting back to the Akatsuki base.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello friends! I'm back to update, and I hope you're all ready for chapter two! I think I'm really going to enjoy writing this story, and I hope you all are going to enjoy reading it.

I have a few requests of you before you start reading the chapter, however:

1. I would like you to go to my profile, and vote on my poll. The poll question asks what story you would like me to update the quickest; you vote, I update. :)

2. I've betaed a story for my dear friend The Thorne, and it appears she's not getting very many reviews. She writes Inuyasha stories, so if you're interested go to her profile and check her out.

**Please and Thank You!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

_Thanks to all the fans that have read, and reviewed the first chapter! Reviews really do inspire me to write, so please review!_

* * *

Her muscles burned and her skin was bruised, but Sakura was more concerned about where she was. It was dark and wet in this small room, there were no windows and only one door; it was obvious she was in a cell somewhere…

Taking a breath, Sakura cautiously started to move her body. Bending her limbs one at a time, Sakura was most concerned for her back; she could only feel a numbing pain from said part of her body.

Sakura cringed as she placed healing chakra into one of her hands; bending her back slightly while cringing even more, Sakura placed her healing hand on the most painful part of her back.

Sakura's eyes were closed as she slowly massaged her abused back muscles. She couldn't remember what happened; the last thing she could remember was facing the two members of the Akatsuki…

Taking a deep breath, Sakura's hand darted from her back to her medic-nin pouch. Finding it still intact, she slowly unzipped the tan pouch, and shoved her hand inside. Sakura sighed in relief when her hand wrapped around the slightly torn scroll she had obtained from the root building; at least they hadn't taken that.

"Why are you relieved, Kunochi?" A deep voice spoke from the shadows. Taking a breath, Sakura's eyes darted forward as they searched diligently for the owner of the voice in the darkness. Not finding said person, Sakura slowly crept backward until her back hit the cell wall. "Do you not know where you are?"

Sakura's eyes glared forward as a light from above her head slowly started to dim on. Sakura's eyes quickly got adjusted to the new light, and noticed a tall figure standing a few feet away from her; it was the Akatsuki leader.

"I refuse to talk to you," Sakura stated simply as she turned her head to the side in an act of defiance. Hearing foot steps come closer, Sakura was forced to look at Pein as his fingers gripped her chin roughly, and tugged her face until it was looking directly at him.

"Do not make this any harder for yourself," Pein spoke as his ringed eyes glared daggers into Sakura's own emerald. "Listen to my offer; you may find it appealing."

Pein took a step back from Sakura, and crouched down before her. Sakura's eyes glared deeply into the ringed eyes, and she defiantly tilted her head up in the air.

Pein's hand lifted slightly in the air, and he clenched said hand into a fist.

Almost instantly, Sakura cringed feeling an overwhelming, painful sensation come to her chest. Clenching her own fist to her chest, her eyes darted upward to meet those of Pein's. He stood in front of her, watching as she squirmed slightly because of the pain; Pein's eyes seemed to intensify, slightly, and it made Sakura feel as though the man was actually peering into her soul.

Shaking her head from side to side, Sakura felt the intensity on her chest increase; this was not a normal pain, and Sakura had not heard of this type of jutsu anywhere before… Not knowing what else to do she nodded her head lightly.

"Good girl," Pein commented while he stood. Walking over to the girl he patted her head lightly, and then turned back towards the door. Taking a few more steps away from Sakura, he glanced back towards her. "We will discuss this matter at a later date."

Opening the door, Pein just as quickly disappeared as he had appeared; silently, and swiftly, just like a skillful ninja should. Shutting the door with a soft click, both pains were gone; the pain in her chest, and the Akatsuki leader.

Taking in a large gasp of breath, Sakura's fist tightened around her shirt. The feeling of Pein's jutsu… it was something she definitely did not want to revisit.

Unclenching her chest, Sakura slowly found her legs and stood. Walking over to the barred cell, Sakura's fingers tightened around one of the bars.

"Once I retain my chakra… I'm leaving this place."

XxxX

Pein smirked as he exited the prisoner cell; she had spunk, but Sakura would be bending to his will very soon. Her assistance in his plan was a necessity; he needed her, and Pein wasn't one to take no very lightly.

Walking down the hallway he thought about the pinkette, and the stunt she pulled over Kisame. Pein very much knew where Tsunade was now; his spies had informed him the once Kage of Kohona was recovering well in the safe village of Sand.

It was irritating, but it was enlightening. What else could this little pink haired girl do? Pein really couldn't wait for the answer to that question…

XxxX

Sakura heard the steps as they walked heavily down the hallway outside her room. Blinking slightly, Sakura watched as the blue man from before slammed open the door, and stared at her savagely.

Kisame didn't say anything as he walked closer to the cell. Bringing his Samehada from its rightful place on his back, Kisame swung it before the prison cell menacingly.

"Pein has ordered me not to hurt you," Kisame spoke as he unlocked the chakra seal they had placed on the door. Sakura's eyes glared at the tall blue man; it was obvious she did not trust him. Taking a few steps backward, Sakura found her cell too small to handle. Her back hit the wall, leaving only a few feet between herself and Kisame.

"I'm serious, little girl," Kisame spoke again as he walked closer. Sakura's eyes glared into slits as her body morphed into that of a defensive position; she still stood a few inches from the wall. Though she had next to no chakra left her fists were still raised in an almost mockingly, taunting way.

Kisame took a few steps closer, and stopped once a fist was sent his way. The location of the hit was directly in his stomach, and even though no chakra was attached to said hit, it was still able to knock the wind out of blue skinned man.

Slinking back towards the wall, Sakura's eyes danced in laughter as she watched Kisame slowly rise; one hand clenching his gut, while the other held his sword tightly.

Glaring, the blue skin man walked closer to her, very wary of any and all of her limbs as they poised ready to attack. Blocking a fist first, Kisame grabbed Sakura's leg before a kick could connect with his side.

Growling in frustration, Kisame chucked Sakura against the wall, hard. Groaning slightly in pain, Sakura fought to stand before Samehada was brought a slim inch away from her neck. "I wasn't suppose to hurt you," Kisame growled out with a glare. "I'm only here to drain your chakra."

With that said, Kisame's sword glowed its own color blue as Sakura began to feel weaker and weaker. Without much more of a fight, Kisame quickly withdrew his sword and watched Sakura lean against the wall in exhaustion.

"You seemed to have a lot less chakra then you should have…" Kisame raised an eyebrow as he questioned Sakura.

"I healed myself you bastard," Sakura muttered tiredly against the wall. Her eyes still glared at the blue man, though they were fighting to blink away the sleep that threatened to close them.

"Interesting," Kisame muttered as he stood. Walking a few inches closer, Kisame stood right before Sakura. He smirked as his hand went to her cheek, as he stroked it softly. "Such hostility."

Sakura slapped his hand away, and quickly removed herself from the wall; she may have been tired, but she refused to ever lie down and let someone touch her.

Her glare hardened when she heard Kisame's chuckle. "You will definitely fit in around here," he muttered before leaving. Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she watched the blue skinned man leave… what the hell was he talking about?

XxxX

The party of now five shinobi raced through the forest; they had not yet heard of Kohona's destruction, and were running easily through the trees. The ninja in the front of the pack, however, increased his speed as smoke became visible.

"That's from the direction of Konoha," he muttered to his companions as they too increased their speed.

As they passed the terrain of trees, the group of five males were able to see the village that had once been Kohona; that had once been their home.

The blond of the group's eyes watered as he gazed upon the destroyed village; buildings had crumbled, trees had been knocked down, even the Hokage monument had been destroyed.

"What the hell happened here?" One of his companions asked, while stepping up beside the blond. This shinobi had dark raven haired lock, and crimson red eyes.

"Troublesome," another companion muttered; this ninja having brown hair that was spiked up in a short pony tail.

"Don't start with that Shikamaru," the blonde warned with a glare. Turning back towards the village, his electric blue irises suddenly widened in shock. The blond started to race towards the village, leaving his companions in the dust. "Sakura-Chan…"

"Naruto," the raven haired shinobi was hot on the blond's heels. Catching up to him quickly, the dark haired shinobi grabbed his counter part's shoulder, causing the blond to stop. "We can't just run blindly into the village; there could still be enemy shinobi around, dobe."

"Sasuke is right," A long, brown haired shinobi with white eyes said as he and the other three shinobi caught up to Sasuke and Naruto.

"But Neji… Sakura-Chan…" Naruto muttered while looking over his shoulder. "We have to go search for survivors; I know there has to be survivors."

"Chill out, dickless," the other raven haired shinobi spoke with a mock smile.

"Sai," Naruto growled at the offending male.

"Naruto, Sai, stop it," Shikamaru spoke swiftly with a glare. He frowned slightly as he spoke. "We can't head into Konoha blindly, like Neji and Sasuke stated. We have to be smart about this."

"I need to see if everyone is alright," Naruto stated with a pleading tone; his eyes only on the demolished village below them. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

"Naruto, if you were a survivor that had fought in this battle, and had lost, where would you go?" Shikamaru asked while he rubbed his brow slightly.

Naruto frowned slightly at first, and glared. "Why the hell are you bring this up right now?" Naruto asked in slightly outrage as he turned to look at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed. "Just answer the question, Naruto," Shikamaru stated. "It's very important."

Naruto sighed, but smirked slightly as he raised a fist. "I'd go kick whose ever ass it was that did this!" Naruto said with conviction. Shikamaru just groaned.

"That's not what he meant," Sasuke said with a slight glare. "Shikamaru's trying to ask where you would go, as a refugee, to seek shelter, food, and protection."

"Well I would go to Suna, obviously," Naruto stated with a slight glare. "If I would trust anyone to help me it would be Gaara."

"Exactly," Neji said with a smirk. "That is where any refugees of Konoha would go after an attack this severe."

"How do we know it was not Suna who attacked?" The usual quiet Sai questioned.

Naruto glared towards the raven haired shinobi, again, and charged at him. Grabbing him tightly by the shoulders Naruto's glare turned deadly. "_Gaara would never do that to us,"_ Naruto stated in a deadly tone.

Sai smiled mockingly before prying Naruto's hands away from his shoulders. "We don't really know who we can trust right now, so in a sense, Sai is right," Shikamaru said while shrugging this shoulders lightly. "But we know that no matter what Gaara would and will be there for us; there's no doubting that. We'll head to Suna to regroup and come up with a strategy."

With their destination now in place, and without another word, the five shinobi scattered to the trees; the land of Sand their new, temporary home.

XxxX

Pein sat alone in a darkened room. In the darkness one could not make out his hair color, or body type; only his eyes really could be seen, his dark ringed eyes. Said eyes were currently glued to the palms of his hands, where he was holding something so delicately it seemed he feared said object would break if he touched it without anything but the utmost care.

Bringing his hands up to his ringed eyes allowed the outline of what lay in his hands to be shown; an outline of a flower.

Placing the flower back on the table, Pein sat in his chair and waited for Kisame to enter. A knock was heard a few seconds later, and Pein allowed a firm, "enter" in response.

The blue man entered through the door swiftly. Pein watched the man, and internally wondered why there was a faint hint of laughter dancing within Kisame's eyes.

"What of the kunochi?" Pein questioned bluntly.

"Her chakra is drained, Leader-sama," Kisame stated with a small upturn of his lips. "

Pein's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you find to be so humorous, Kisame?" Pein questioned as he let a small bit of anger leak into his voice.

"The girl," Kisame's smirk grew slightly, "she got a punch in even without having any chakra. Really quite amusing, now that I think about it."

"Hmm," Pein muttered quietly. He nodded for Kisame to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, and Kisame did so. "You have questions concerning the plan?"

"Yes," Kisame said with a nod of his head. Allowing the laughter to leave his eyes, and the smirk to leave his face, Kisame's face turned into an emotionless mask. "How are we going to make the kunochi agree to our plan?"

Pein smirked as he leaned back in his chair; allowing his hands to link slightly together in front of him, he began to answer Kisame. "We will offer something the girl cannot refuse," Pein stated simply.

"And what would that be, Leader-sama?" Kisame asked with an eyebrow raise; Pein's plans usually weren't so spontaneous. They were usually thought out, and severely detailed; this plan though, it seemed to be brought up upon a whim by the leader. Kisame was slightly concerned.

"We will offer her the Kyuubi," Pein spoke emotionlessly. "If she joins us, we will agree to stop chasing after him."

"What?" Kisame asked with slight outrage. "We've worked so hard on collecting the other eight tailed beasts; how can you just give up-"

"I said we would tell her we would stop chasing the Kyuubi," Pein spoke in a slight sadistic tone. "I refuse to change my goals; I am not above of lying to a teenage girl, Kisame. I am not above a lot of things, Kisame, remember that."


	3. Chapter 3

I am soooooo sorry about the super late update; I started college last week, and have been preparing for it. I don't know how much updating I'll do until I'm completely settled in at college, but maybe your reviews would inspire me to write more chapters sooner. : )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

_P.S. Pollll on the profile :) You're welcome for the update_

XxxX

Sakura found it hard to open her eyes as she awoke in the darkness of her cell once again. She was still tired, still drained of chakra, and her back was still ringing in pain; Sakura knew she would have to heal it again. Sighing slightly, Sakura shifted herself into a more comfortable position against the cell wall; currently her position on the floor was adding even more pain to her back.

Sakura sighed in contentment as she placed an emerald green glowing hand to the small of her back. Sakura was glad that it wasn't as severe as the injury had been previously; that would have taken a lot more chakra.

Cringing slightly, Sakura cursed the blue skinned man; she had healed this injury earlier, and if he hadn't thrown her so harshly against the wall, it would still be healed, damn it.

Thinking back on Kisame, Sakura cursed again remembering the chakra drain that had occurred. She would never be able to escape this place if she wasn't able to store chakra.

Sakura removed her hand from her back, and sighed slightly as she slumped her shoulders. Closing her eyes completely, Sakura leaned further back into the wall as she tried to find a way out of her current predicament.

It was obvious Kisame was going to come back and drain her chakra away; she needed to find a way to store her chakra… a way to keep her chakra away from Kisame's damned sword.

Almost as if a light bulb appeared above her head, Sakura got an idea. Frowning slightly, she brought both of her hands together to form a tiger seal; Tsunade had taught this to her during a training session years earlier, but she had never really tried it. Sakura just hoped it worked, and hoped the seal and chakra pulse this jutsu would cause would go unnoticed by her captors, though it probably wouldn't.

Concentrating on her forehead, a small emerald diamond began to appear. Taking a breath inward, Sakura allowed herself to pour most of her chakra into the small diamond shape; the exertion of chakra caused a slight ripple in the air.

After only a few short mintues, Sakura sensed movement outside her cell, and knew someone was going to enter her room. Cursing herself for her own carelessness, Sakura stopped the movement of her chakra, and hid the new diamond mark on her forehead behind her bangs.

The door slammed open a second later, and Sakura frowned slightly as she stared into the eyes of the Akatsuki leader.

Pein walked into the room with an air of nonchalance. He walked toward Sakura's cell door, opened it, and just stood before her.

"Do not make me ask," Pein muttered as he glared towards Sakura. Sakura smirked slightly in triumph, but quickly hid said reaction.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura muttered with bitter indifference.

Pein glared at the pinkette before him; Sakura knew exactly what he was talking about. Pein had felt a sudden surge of chakra. Glaring sharply at Sakura, Pein took a step closer.

Raising a fist, Pein went to slap Sakura in the face; Sakura's own hand flew up to her defense, and prevented the slap from connecting.

"You are lying," Pein stated bluntly as he retracted his fist from Sakura's grasp; his glare intensified as Sakura's lip turned slightly upward. Sakura's eyes still glared up in defiance, until Pein spoke again. "Stand up."

"No," Sakura muttered with a slight glare of her own. She moved to turn her head away; Pein's hand prevented her from doing so.

"Stand up," Pein said again; this time his voice was not so calm. Sakura was about to protest, but Pein again interrupted her. "Stand up, and come with me. We need to talk about our arrangement…"

Nodding her head slightly, Sakura stood, but still held an heir of confidence. Pein waited for Sakura to walk in front of him, which she did. Turning her head around slightly, Sakura watched as Pein appeared right behind her.

Sakura felt the breath on her ear before she comprehended his closeness. "I will find out what you did in this room, girl." His voice was cold; it sent cold shivers up and down her spine.

Resisting the urge to shiver on impulse, Sakura walked to the cell door, and peered out into the hallway. Glaring at Kisame, Kisame in turn smirked at the girl.

"Follow Kisame," Pein was still too close for Sakura to practically breathe correctly. Speeding up her pace slightly, Pein followed just as quickly behind with a twisted smirk on his face.

The lights in the hallway were dull, but still brighter than Sakura's cell. Blinking slightly, Sakura's eyes began to focus and became alert almost instantly.

Sakura's eyes were glued to the walls and the hallways as she followed the big blue man further down the hallway. If Pein would only give her another few feet, she was sure she could race down one of the hallways and escape…

Following Kisame as he took a sharp right, she felt Pein hot on her heels. It was obvious they weren't giving her an inch; they weren't giving her any chance to escape. Maybe she would be able to fight her way out of here.

Laughing mentally, Sakura shook her head. She was able to defeat one member of the Akatsuki with the help of a stronger, more experienced shinobi; how the hell would she be able to defeat two of the strongest Akatsuki members all by herself?

Kisame stopped in front of a large wooden door. Sakura's eyes darted to Kisame's hands as he began making rapid hand signs. In a few short moments, the door before them unlocked, and Kisame quickly walked inside.

Feeling Pein step closer to her, Sakura quickly followed Kisame inside the room. The lights were incredibly bright as she stepped into this seemingly sterile and bright room. Thinking nostalgically, it reminded Sakura of the hospital she used to work at, back in Konoha.

Taking a few steps further into the room, Sakura's eyes began to roam the contents. Instantly, Sakura's eyes darted to the surgical equipment, and the coffin-like containers that lay scattered throughout the large room; the containers that were large enough to fit bodies in.

Raising a slight eyebrow, Sakura walked closer to one of the coffins. It was a large dark brown box, but there were tubes that flowed in and out that connected to a mechanical machine.

Sakura had seen machines like this before; the machines in front of her reminded her very much of those she had seen Kabuto use when Konoha had invaded Sound.

Snapping back to reality, Sakura walked closer to the machines. Eyeing the tubes, Sakura idly wondered if they were breathing tubes. Stepping even closer, Sakura's hand caressed the top of the container slightly.

"You're curious, aren't you?" Pein spoke as he closed the door the group of three had entered from. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he walked toward the container Sakura was standing by. His hand slowly caressed the top of the wood as he walked to the end of the container passing Sakura slowly. "This is what I need you for; your abilities for."

Sakura's eyes darted towards Pein's hands as he began opening the box. Her eyes widened at what lay beneath the cover.

There lay Sasori of the Red Sand; Sakura was almost positive she would never see him again; she had nightmares about said shinobi; the only thing that made her feel better was the fact that he was dead,

The read head that lay in the coffin before her was as still as a stone; he was dead and Sakura knew it. Eyeing the tubes again, Sakura began to think they were a method of preservation; a way to preserve the body without having it decompose.

That's when Sakura realized something, Sasori's body… it appeared to be actual skin, unlike the last time the two met. Sakura's eyes darted upward towards Pein's; her holding questions, his holding answers.

"What-"

"We will discuss our agreement before we continue," Pein spoke as he shut the coffin lid. Sakura nodded slightly as her eyes wandered to Kisame; he stood stoically next to another container further in the back of the room.

"You will become a full member of the Akatsuki, and do anything I require you to," Pein spoke easily as he watched Sakura for a reaction. He watched as Sakura flinched slightly and glared toward him. "Of course there is something I will be offering you… but there really will be no choice in the matter."

"What is the offer?" Sakura questioned as she eyed Kisame before glancing back to Pein.

"Kyuubi," Pein spoke easily. "We will stop chasing after the Kyuubi if you agree to join the Akatsuki, and help us with the resurrection of our fallen comrades."

"The-" Sakura's throat was suddenly dry, and it felt like air wasn't properly getting to her lungs. Pein's offer surprised her; he completely shocked her. "The resurrection of Akatsuki in exchange for Naruto's life?"

"Yes," Pein stated with a nod. Sakura's mind again danced with the possibilities of this deal. It was possible that what Pein had said was truthful, but Sakura doubted that very much. It was obvious Akatsuki had been after the nine-tailed beasts for some time; he wouldn't just give up the chance for world domination when he was so close to obtaining it.

Sakura's eyes hardened as she looked to Pein. "How do I know you will fulfill your end of the bargain once I resurrect these members?" Sakura questioned quietly as her eyes watched Pein's face for a reaction. He didn't give one; not that Sakura was really expecting it.

"You don't," Pein spoke effortlessly. He watched as Sakura's mouth dropped slightly, and he smirked at her reaction. "Believe it or not, Akatsuki is a respectable organization. We try to honor the promises we make; this is because we make very few promises."

"So I have your word you will not harm Naruto?" Sakura questioned as she watched Pein. Pein's smirk widened for a slim second, and then disappeared all together.

"You have my word that I will not harm Naruto Uzumaki," Pein spoke with an affirmative head nod.

Sakura sucked in a slight gasp of breath. "I agree to those terms," Sakura nodded as she took a step closer to the coffin.

XxxX

The group of five made it to Suna quicker then planned; it only took them a day and a half to reach the sand country. The five rested very little as they tried to increase even their lightning speed to make it to the village as soon as possible.

Stopping in front of the Suna wall, Naruto waited for a guard to escort them to the Kazekage building. The five did not have to wait long before the recognizable shape of Kankuro appeared before them.

The normally chipper male was unusually somber, and incredibly quiet. Seeing the group of five, however, he allowed a small smile to break on his saddened mask. "Welcome to Suna my friends."

"We need to see Gaara," Naruto stated immediately. Kankuro nodded quickly, and started racing towards the Kazekage building.

The group of five followed quickly after the swift moving puppeteer. It had been a while since any of them had been to Suna; if Naruto remember correctly the last time he had been to Suna was when Team Kakashi had rescued Gaara… and when Sakura had saved Kankuro.

"Are there refugees from Konoha here, Kankuro?" Naruto asked quickly as he thought back to his pink haired friend.

"Yes," Kankuro said as he sighed deeply. "Not as many as I would have liked to see, however."

"How many?" Neji spoke as he matched steps with the puppeteer.

"A little over twenty," Kankuro said softly as the group arrived in front of the Kazekage building. "Fifteen shinobi, five civilians."

"That few?" Naruto questioned as his voice saddened greatly. His shoulders immediately began to slump, and he and his fellow shinobi quickly followed Kankuro into the Kazekage building.

"Some may have went to Mist, Naruto," Shikamaru spoke easily as they continued to follow Kankuro. "We have better ties with Suna, and whoever attacked Konoha would probably know that. Suna is closer, but only by a few days travel. We will have more shinobi in Mist, I guarantee it."

The rest of the two minute walk to Gaara's office was done in silence, as had most of their journey from Konoha. Knocking on the door to the office, Kankuro opened the door without even acknowledgement. Leading the five shinobi inside, they stood face to face with Suna's Kazekage.

"Gaara," Naruto spoke with a slight crack in his voice. Stepping towards the red haired man, Naruto hugged him tightly before letting go, and looking him in the eye. "Who did this?"

"Naruto… You need to sit down," Gaara spoke quietly and sternly. Nodding to the rest of his companions, they too sat down. "I was only able to interview a few of the shinobi that arrived here; one of them was Tsunade."

"Tsunade-baachan is okay?" Naruto questioned with a slight smile. "What about Kakashi-sensei, and Hinata-Chan; what about Sakura-Chan?"

The group watched as Gaara cringed slightly. Sitting in his chair, Gaara's face turned somber. "We have heard from our allies in Mist that a few shinobi have made it to their village safely; Kakashi-san, and Hyuuga-san being a few of them… we have, however, not heard anything about Sakura's whereabouts."

"But Sakura-" Naruto was cut off quickly by a door shutting.

"Sakura didn't give up," Tsunade's voice spoke softly as she walked into the room. Her face was slightly wrinkled, and she seemed to be completely worn out. Naruto stood and walked towards the elder blond as he gave her a tight squeeze. "I think… I think you need to sit down for this, Naruto."

Nodding slightly with a bit of confusion, Naruto walked back to his chair and sat down. "The Akatsuki arrived in Konoha about a half day after you guys left," Tsunade started out slowly as she walked to Gaara's desk. Leaning slightly against it, she turned towards her shinobi. "It was an unexpected invasion; they had recruited more shinobi then we had anticipated. Their leader was actually the Kage of Rain; we didn't stand a chance.

"The battle lasted for over a day, and I was severely injured; I was able to take out several Akatsuki before then however. Sakura was able to heal me, but just as she was finishing I was made aware that Kisame Hoshigaki had arrived, and severely injured me again… that's all I remember."

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly. "How did you arrive here, then, Tsunade-sama?"

"It's a transportation jutsu I taught her… she was able to send me to the Suna hospital…" Tsunade's eyes watered slightly before she continued. "She-she didn't transport herself… she couldn't. I can only give medical ninja one transportation scroll… I should have given her two."

The group of five guys' eyes widened slightly as they watched their Hokage break down in front of them; she was completely broken. The village she was suppose to protect was destroyed, and she couldn't find her apprentice's; the apprentice that had risked her life for her Hokage… in Tsunade's eyes she had failed as a leader.

"We need to go back to Konoha immediately," it was Sasuke who spoke first. "We may have a chance to follow the Akatsuki's trail back to their hideout; we also want to look for any survivors."

"That's not a bad idea, Sasuke," Shikamaru spoke as he shifted in his seat. "They would never expect a counter attack so early… and if the Akatsuki took any of our shinobi captive, we should plan a rescue before it becomes too late."

Nodding his head slightly, Naruto looked toward Gaara, who had been incredibly quiet up until this point. "What do you think, Gaara?" Naruto asked as his voice softened slightly.

"I cannot allow any of my shinobi to accompany you back to Konoha," Gaara spoke as his eyes were focused on his desk. "The council and I are both worried for the sake of our own village; I can send a message to Mist to set up a rendezvous point with the rest of the Konoha shinobi, and I can protect any of you here, but that is all I can offer."

Naruto smiled slightly as he stood. Putting his hand out, he shook Gaara's hand before responding. "I can't expect you to endanger your village, Gaara. Send word to Mist we'll be meeting up in Konoha in three days time."


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took me a few weeks to update everyone (college is actually really distracting!)! Trust me, if I could skip the whole college thing, and write fanfiction stories for the rest of my life, i would, but sadly I am not talented enough or rich enough to do that :( But I am really excited that I updated! And I seriously have 27 reviews! (WOW THANKS!)

And i'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but my internet has been completely wack since I got to college (I had to actually buy an internet cord so I could go on and update this!) So, I do believe that I will be updating more frequently, and remember *reviews inspire me to update faster* :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Sakura stood in the brightly light room that smelled so strongly of sterile products; the cleanliness of the room made her stomach clench. It was sickening to think about what she was about to do; it was so sickening. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura took a step forward to the casket before her.

Without even looking behind her, Sakura knew Kisame and Pein watched her every move; they didn't trust her yet, and Sakura really couldn't blame them; in this situation she wouldn't even trust herself. She was doing this for Naruto and only Naruto; if she had made the wrong choice then she would deal with the consequences later. She could deal with everyone's hatred as long as Naruto was safe.

Taking another step forward, Sakura peered into the casket; inside lay a dead member of the Akatsuki. Pein had told Sakura that she would be resurrecting every possible member of the Akatsuki her chakra would allow; the only ones that would not qualify for the procedure would be the newly dead members, and also the members whose bodies could not be recovered. Said members would include Hidan, Kazuku, and Konan; though Kisame was going to be retrieving Hidan's body at a later date. She had never done this procedure before, but that wouldn't stop her from trying, and succeeding.

Taking another step forward, Sakura was close enough to raise the coffin lid upward. Staring down at the man that lay before her, Sakura allowed a small gasp to escape her lips. The man that lay before her was unmistakably handsome, but then again Uchiha men usually are… were. Itachi Uchiha lay in the casket before her looking incredibly peaceful; a white cloth was laid over his eyes.

"Are… are his eye's still intact?" Sakura asked as she glanced over her shoulder toward Pein. "I thought his eyes were infused with Sasuke's after he and Sasuke fought."

"You'll be giving him new eyes," Pein spoke tonelessly. He stepped forward and looked to the corpse below. Taking a few steps away from her, Pein nodded for her to begin.

Nodding slightly, Sakura grabbed the scroll from inside her mednin pouch. Taking a deep breath, she slowly unrolled the scroll and began to read. After a few minutes, Sakura nodded her head to herself. Glancing back over her shoulder, Sakura spoke calmly to Kisame; she was in medic mode. "Kisame, I need you to move him to the exam table, please."

Nodding his head quickly, Kisame disabled the machine that Itachi was connected to using a few hand signs and chakra. Unlocking the top of the top of the casket, Kisame sighed slightly. Grabbing Itachi by the shoulders and knees, Kisame carried him to the exam table.

Nodding her head in thanks, Sakura stepped towards the exam room table, and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Sakura did a succession of rapid hand signs that, together, lasted just over a minute. Finishing up the hand signs, Sakura bit her thumb finger hard enough to draw blood. Allowing her thumb to touch all nine of her other fingers, Sakura placed her hands into one last seal. As Sakura opened her eyes, immediately began circling around her, and Sakura's hands began glowing a fierce pink; the power of the jutsu was something she had never felt before. The pink chakra flowed away from Sakura's hands like electricity; the current going through her hands almost looked like Sasuke and Kakashi's chidori.

Taking another step closer, Sakura sighed before she blinked her eyes slowly. Making a mental map of where Itachi's organ's were, Sakura found Itachi's heart easily. Sakura allowed one of her hands to fall above his heart; the chakra that flowed out of Sakura's body was excessive. There was an extreme power floating around the room that made the air heavy.

Gasping slightly, Sakura felt as if her life was being drained away from her. Taking in a shaky breath, Sakura allowed her other hand to find Itachi's forehead. Taking in another deep breath, Sakura forced her newly made pink chakra to flow through Itachi's body.

Itachi's body, at first, spasmed and convulsed trying to reject Sakura's chakra, but his body failed to do so. Sakura's chakra was too strong to repel, and Itachi's body was too weak. Slowly, very slowly, Sakura began to feel Itachi's heart thumping inside his chest. Feeling the slight thump of his heart, Sakura allowed her chakra to flow through Itachi's body matching the rhythm of his slow and steady heartbeat. As her chakra flowed through his body, her chakra began to repair the damaged cells and deteriorated tissue of his muscles.

Sakura's eyes opened slightly as she moved her hands away from his chest and forehead. Bringing her two thumbs to rest on Itachi's eyes, Sakura allowed chakra to flow through them. Slowly, Sakura allowed her chakra to access the damage; it really wasn't good. Itachi's whole eyes were gone; the only thing that was left was the eye socket.

Sighing slightly, Sakura started by concentrating on recreating the eyeball first; this was going to be a long process, and was going to take a lot of chakra. Sakura wasn't so sure she was ready, but when she saw Itachi's hand twitch slightly, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop until he was fully healed.

XxxX

A man stood above the village of Konoha. The air seemed to circle around him as it blew his shaggy grey hair in front of his eyes. Flipping his hair back, one piercing crimson eye could be seen, as well as one usually lazy grey eye.

As he peered down on the once booming village, his eyes saddened slightly. Leaping quickly from his perch, the silver haired ninja raced towards the destroyed village. Allowing his eyes to roam over the scene, he landed atop what was once the Hokage building. Bringing two fingers to his masked lower face, he placed his fingers in his masked mouth, and whistled loudly.

Instantly five figures appeared next to him. "All clear?" a masculine voice asked casually as he stepped towards the older nin.

The silver haired nin nodded, and turned his back to the group. His eyes scanned over the decimated village, and a crease in his eyebrow could be seen.

"Kakashi," the nin from before spoke; he sported shaggy brown and twin red triangles on his cheeks. "When are we going to meet up with Naruto and Naruto's group?"

"Kiba-kun," A woman spoke as she came to stand beside Kiba. The soft voice went along with her small female body. "We just need to be patient…"

"Hinata-Chan," Kiba stated in a frustrated sigh; he took a step away from Kakashi. Looking into the young Hyuuga's irises, he saw tunnels of lavender that couldn't do anything to calm the way he was feeling. "I hate sitting here and waiting for them to come; we aren't doing anything. We should be out doing something!"

"How can we do something with six people?" A voice asked from behind the group. Kiba glanced over Hinata's shoulder and looked into crimson eyes. "We need as many people as we can to figure this situation out."

"Kurenai is right," another voice spoke with a sigh. Stepping up to the circle of five now, the man with a large senbon needle in his mouth continued. "Once Naruto's group get's here we will at least be able to think of some form of action; we can't come up with one all on our own."

"But-"

"Kiba," Kakashi's tone held no room for discussion. "If you want to do something, then we will do something productive. We will split up and search the village for survivors. Hinata and Kiba, go to the south gate; Genma and Kurenai go to the east gate; Lee and I will search both the north and west gates. Split up."

The black haired male that had been silent since they got to Konoha, nodded his head slightly, and followed Kakashi's lead. After watching his sensei be murdered in front of him, Lee's mood had sobered up completely; Lee was not his regular jubilant self.

It had happened when Gai was trying to protect Lee, while Lee was trying to protect a slowly dying Tenten. Though Lee did manage to save Tenten, who was now resting back in Mist, Gai was a completely other story. Gai had died honorably; he had taken out as many enemies as possible as he died; even Lee knew that opening the tenth gate would result in death.

Sighing slightly, Kakashi looked back towards the bowl haired cut man, and thought to his own students. Gaara had stated that Naruto's mission had been successful, and that they did indeed, bring Sasuke back. He was hopeful until he read the rest of the letter. One of the Missing in Action ninja on the very long list of ninja was Sakura Haruno.

Frowning slightly, Kakashi's speed increased. He needed to find something that told him she was safe… that she wasn't dead.

XxxX

Sakura sighed heavily as she leaned over Itachi; his vitals were up and his heart was beating regularly. She had not just healed his eyes, she had healed them so well that he would not need them to be healed again for some time.

She had done her job, and she had done it well. Cringing slightly, Sakura felt that her chakra was at an all time low; she had never exerted herself this much before. Sighing again, Sakura's eyes began to get blurry, and she couldn't help but feel dizzy. Wobbling slightly, Sakura felt her equilibrium was off balance. Taking one more look at Itachi, she noticed idly that he was watching her through cold, calculating black eyes.

Blinking to rid herself of her dizziness, Sakura took a step back. "He's," Sakura muttered tiredly as Pein stepped forward. "Itachi-san is awake."

Nodding his head slightly, Pein looked down at Itachi. Smirking, he watched as Itachi moved to stand. Still dizzy, Sakura stumbled forward and tried to push Itachi back down. "You're in no condition to be moving yet," Sakura spoke in her medic tone.

Itachi's eyes darted towards Sakura's hands as they landed on his chest. With as much force as she could muster, which wasn't very much, Sakura's hands pressed down on Itachi's chest as he tried to move below her.

His hands grasped her wrists quickly, and he slowly sat upward. His dark eyes seemed to glare holes through her soul as he watched her. "Do not touch me, Kunochi."

Her eyes drooped slightly, but Sakura was never one to give up. Allowing her hands to clench around Itachi's own wrists, she tried to glare back into his eyes. "I am your doctor, and you have just been healed; you need more time to recuperate," Sakura spoke tiredly as her grip on his wrists dropped.

Frowning slightly, Itachi looked into her eyes; a look of slight confusion was visible for only an instant, then it was replaced by his usual cold, calculating look.

Gripping her wrist, Itachi moved her hand until the palm was in front of his face. Looking at the fingers individually, Itachi's eyes darted to her own. "The resurrection jutsu," he muttered quietly.

Sakura nodded her head tiredly and sighed. "I was able to take the resurrection scroll before I left Konoha."

"…Konoha…"

"We invaded Konoha a week ago; we were able to make her crumble," Kisame stated with a shark like smirk on his face. Stepping forward towards Itachi, he glanced toward Sakura. "We were able to… persuade her into joining us. She's going to heal all of the Akatsuki."

Nodding his head slightly, Itachi's eyes darted towards Sakura's emerald. Seeing her stagger slightly, he watched as Sakura's eyes closed instantly before she began to pass out. Her body slowly fell towards the floor, but was stopped by a pair of strong arms.

Itachi eyed the pink haired woman critically before he placed her on the hospital bed he had just been laying on. Turning around, he glanced towards Kisame before looking to Pein. Bowing slightly he said, "Leader-sama."

"It's good to have you back Itachi," Pein stated as he walked towards the passed out Sakura. Glancing down at her, he smirked slightly before looking back to Itachi. "We have much to discuss."

"Indeed we do," Itachi muttered as his Sharingan began swirling in his sockets. "Why have I been resurrected?"

"We have not yet finished the ten tailed Bjuu, Itachi," Pein stated coldly. "The nine tail has yet to be caught and contained; if I remember correctly the nine tailed fox was your beast. You have your end of the bargain to hold up."

"It was, and I will," Itachi nodded slightly while looking towards Sakura. "That is the nine tail's teammate is it not? She would not have joined up willingly…"

"It does not matter," Pein stated with a slight glare. "We need both the eight tailed and the nine tailed beasts. After she brings the rest of the Akatsuki to life we will be strong enough to obtain said beasts."

"And what of her then?" Itachi asked, his eyes still watching Sakura's breathing.

"She will continue to be useful to us," Pein stated with a monotone. "And if she becomes too much of a hassle, she will be disposed of."

Nodding his head slightly, Itachi bowed before leaving the room; Kisame followed quickly behind. Pein smirked slightly as his eyes drifted to Sakura. Taking a step closer, Pein brushed one of Sakura's bangs out of her face.

Smirking again, Pein left the room.

XxxX

Landing just outside of the west gate, Kakashi's eyes darted around the carnage; it was obvious to see a battle had taken place here. Stepping closer into what had once been a battle field, Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.

Quickly making a few hand signs, he bit his finger, and called forth his trusted ninja dogs.

"What do you need, Kakashi?" Pakkun asked as he was the first dog to appear.

"I… I need to know if Sakura fought here," Kakashi stated while looking around. "I don't see any damage from Sakura's fists… but I can't help but feel-"

"She was here five days ago," Pakkun spoke as his nose began twitching. Walking slowly, Pakkun stopped in front of a large, cracked bolder. Sniffing slightly, Pakkun nodded towards the little amount of blood that was clear to see on the bolder. "The bloods hers."

Kneeling down, Kakashi felt his hands going over the cracks in the bolder. Sakura's fist didn't make this; Sakura would be able to crush through any bolder. "…She isn't dead, is she?"

"That I can't tell," Pakkun said with a slight whine. "I smell two other scents; two very strong chakras… Their scents don't leave here, however, it seems they were able to hide their chakra and scent completely."

"Elite nin then," Kakashi commented as he stood. Glancing back towards the bolder, he frowned. "Do you have any idea which direction they headed?"

"No," Pakkun shook his head with a slight frown. "Even if I would have been here a day after they were… I still wouldn't be able to track them down."

Nodding his head, Kakashi dismissed Pakkun with a pat of the head. Frowning even more, Kakashi began walked toward the gate; he was supposed to meet Lee back there in a few minutes.

Sensing something was wrong, Kakashi quickly dodged the kunai that was aimed for his back. Glancing around quickly, Kakashi started to do rapid hand signs before he stopped himself.

"I thought you would never let your students sneak up on you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated with a slight smile. Behind the blond stood his four comrades; Kakashi could help but give a small smile at the scene.

"It's good to see you have finally arrived," Kakashi stated with a slight nod. "We've been searching the village.-"

"Have you found Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked with a slight bit of hope in his voice. Shaking his head, Kakashi nodded towards the bolder he had walked away from just minutes before.

"I summoned Pakkun," Kakashi stated with slumped shoulders. "He said that Sakura was the one to create the cracks in that boulder, though I doubt it was from her fists."

"She was thrown against the boulder," Neji stated with a slight nod; his byakugan was on full blast as his eyes swept over the scene. "It appears she did not get up from the blow… but someone did take her."

"She's… She's not dead is she?' Naruto asked as all the hope left his voice; his usual sparkling blue eyes were now a dimmer blue. "They wouldn't have taken a dead body, would they?"

"It's not something we should think about right now," Shikamaru commented as he stepped closer to Kakashi. "We should set up a meeting, and see what we can do about infiltrating the Akatsuki base."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Neji's eyes slightly widened as he listened to Shikamaru. "We are severely low on numbers-"

"We'll discuss it; that's all," Shikamaru stated with a sigh. "We need to do something… I imagine that the Akatsuki did capture some of our nin. We need to plan a rescue mission as soon as possible. Who knows what things Akatsuki could be doing right now… We need to prepare ourselves, and attack."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello friends! Sorry it took so long for me to update; I'm currently trying to split time between this story and another of my stories called Fifty First Dates. Hopefully you will all enjoy this chapter, and review : )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Sakura groaned slightly as she began to come to. Slowly opening her eyes, Sakura found the lights in the room to be a bit too bright for her. Cringing at the light, and how said light made her head feel, she quickly shut her eyes and let out another groan.

Opening her eyes slowly, Sakura began to slowly rise from her spot on the table where she had been placed. "What the-"

Blinking her eyes slightly, Sakura sighed before standing. "I've never felt so tired before," she commented to herself. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed the dry blood on her hand, and cringed slightly in disgust.

Walking to the door, Sakura sighed from exhaustion. It had been a very long time since she had felt this exhausted; the last time she recalled being this tired was after the chuunin exams where she barely had any chakra to start off with.

Opening the door Sakura began to walk down the hallway. It was obvious if the Akatsuki did not want her walking around they would have locked her in that room, or put her in her cell again. Or had they miscalculated the time she would be out… how long had it been since she fell unconscious, and how did she get on that slab? Surely they were not kind enough to put her on it…

Walking further down the hallway, Sakura stopped when she heard a few voices. "Kisame," Pein spoke emotionlessly. "You're mission will be to obtain Hidan's body."

"Hai Leader-sama," Sakura heard Kisame's voice. Sighing slightly, Sakura walked past the door while feeling a slight bit melancholy. Kisame was going back to Konoha… everything that Konoha had stood for was being destroyed.

Walking further down the hallway, Sakura noticed an open door. Without a second thought, she walked to the room, and noticed idly that it was a kitchen. Her stomach growled at the thought of eating, and Sakura decided she would have to eat. Walking to the fridge, Sakura brought out a few vegetables and decided to make a stir fry.

XxxX

Pein smirked slightly as he felt Sakura's chakra pass by in the hallway. "She is already awake," Itachi commented from the other side of the room. "It has only been a day."

"Aa," Pein said as his smirk widened slightly. "It appears all of the Akatsuki may be up and running by next week…"

"Not all her chakra has returned to her," Itachi stated as he looked toward Pein.

"She will be able to start resurrecting another member by tonight," Pein commented with a nod of his head. "We will need all of our members running very soon; Konoha will most likely try a revenge attack. They will most likely know we have captives from Konoha… well _a _captive."

"I wasn't aware there were that many Konoha ninja alive, still," Kisame commented from his spot beside Itachi. "I recall a few important people not being there when we attacked… most importantly the Kyuubi."

"Kisame," Pein's face was emotionless again. "You have your mission; complete it quickly. Itachi; your mission is to keep an eye on our friend in the kitchen."

"Hai Leader-sama," Itachi wore an emotionless mask as he and Kisame left the room. Kisame sighed slightly, but nodded towards Itachi; the two went their separate ways.

XxxX

Sakura smiled slightly; she had made a delicious looking stir fry, and even managed to make some dango. Walking over to the table with a plate full of stir fry, Sakura's steps faltered slightly. Dizziness began to overcome her, and she allowed the plate to slip out of her hands as she fell forward.

Opening emerald eyes she was caught slightly off guard when she noticed she had not collided with the floor. A hand had caught her plate, and was holding it steady in front of her. Sakura felt another hand holding her waist; she sighed slightly before looking over her shoulder.

"Ah, thank you, Itachi-san," Sakura commented quietly while stepping towards the table. Itachi's hand had not left her waist, and Sakura couldn't help but to raise her eyebrow slightly. "Itachi…"

"You should still be too weak to move, Kunoichi," Itachi said as his grip on Sakura's stomach hardened slightly.

"… I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura's voice was hardened and her body stiffened as Itachi's grip became even harsher.

"I can sense that you are lying to me," Itachi stated simply. "I could always use the sharingan to tell me…"

"Use it then," Sakura said with a hardened glare. Slipping away from Itachi's grasp, Sakura took the plate of food from his hands and sat down at the table.

Itachi followed Sakura over to the table and sat down. Eyeing her critically, his crimson red eyes scanned her body for her secret. "Chakra storing seal on your forehead," Itachi commented.

Sakura sighed but nodded. Looking to her plate, she began to eat. "Itadakimasu," she commented under her breath before taking the first bite. Smiling slightly, the food Sakura had prepared reminded her of home; Shizune was actually the one who had taught her to make this dish.

Sakura's eyes darted to the Uchiha who sat beside her; did he know she knew what he was doing? It was painfully obvious she was to be his charge for the day; hopefully just the day. Sighing slightly, Sakura's head nodded towards the stove. "I assume you have not eaten since… being brought back," Sakura said while carefully sliding over the resurrection topic. "There is stir fry and dango."

Sakura could have sworn Itachi's eyes shined slightly when she said dango. Blinking a few times, Sakura watched Itachi stand from for his chair swiftly and walk towards the stove. Grabbing a plate, Itachi placed a hearty amount of dango on it, and completely ignored the stir fry. Walking back to the table he quietly said, "Itadakimasu," before eating.

As the door to the kitchen began to open, Sakura's eyes darted to the door; Pein walked in nonchalantly. Walking over to the stove he grabbed a plate full of stir fry and a couple dango; he sat down on the other side of Sakura.

Saying it was awkward would probably be an understatement; Sakura could barely take the quiet as she ate her lunch… or was it dinner? What time was it any ways, and how many days was she out? Eyes darting to Pein's face, Sakura sighed before speaking. "How many days was I out for?" She questioned while watching Pein for a reaction.

It was hard living with the Akatsuki, even though she had been only living with them a few days. She was never sure if she could trust what they were saying; most of the time she chose not to.

"A day," Pein said before taking a bite of his stir fry. Sakura smiled slightly and nodded; she could detect no lie. It wasn't much, but at least they weren't being completely distrustful towards her.

"When and who will I be healing next?" Sakura asked while placing her chop sticks on her plate; she had eaten enough to gain her strength back. She could always use some chakra she placed into the seal as well.

"Tonight," Pein spoke emotionlessly. "You will be healing Deidara."

Sakura nodded her head and then stood from her seat. Placing her plate in the sink she looked back to the two males at the table. "I will take a shower," Sakura said with a wrinkled noise. "I need clothes to wear that are not cover in blood."

"Your clothes will be placed outside of the bathroom," Pein commented. Glancing over to Itachi, Pein spoke again. "Itachi will show you the room you will be staying in. The room down the hall from mine…"

Itachi's eyes widened for a second, but then he nodded. Raising an eyebrow at this, Sakura walked towards the door of the kitchen. Without saying another word Sakura walked out of the kitchen to find a bathroom.

It didn't much matter which bathroom she went to, she was fairly certain Itachi would feel her chakra where ever she went. Deciding to find the closest bathroom, Sakura began to open doors at random; it wasn't the safest thing to do thinking that she was walking around the Akatsuki base, but the only three she had to worry about were Pein, Kisame, and Itachi, so far. She had left both Pein and Itachi in the kitchen, and she was fairly certain Kisame had already left on his mission… back to Konoha; she could no longer feel the blue skinned man's chakra.

She decided to try and ignore everything that dealt with Konoha; it was less painful that way. Stepping up to the first door, Sakura noticed idly that it had a chakra lock on it; this must have been Kisame's room. Sighing slightly, Sakura walked to the door next to it. This door was a broom closet… that was kind of inconspicuous.

Walking to the door across from Kisame's room, Sakura found a bathroom. The bathroom was a light blue color, but it was very large. There was a six person shower, and a two person tub; Sakura figured this was Kisame's bathroom.

Deciding she didn't care either way, Sakura locked the door and started to strip her clothes. This shower was going to feel heavenly.

XxxX

Kakashi's eyes scanned over the tired looking shinobi before him. The group had searched the village for survivors, and surprisingly found several. It seemed un-Akatsuki like to leave anyone left in Konoha alive… it seemed they might have been distracted by something… or hopefully someone.

Kakashi knew it was a long shot, but he was fairly certain the Akatsuki had taken Sakura. He knew how strong she had become; she would be a invaluable asset to an organization like the Akatsuki. He could only hope he was right, and that they could save her.

Looking to the group of shinobi before him, he allowed a small smirk on his lips. "We will have a group that will take the refugees to Suna," Kakashi's voice spoke quietly. "I want everyone to be checked out by a doctor before coming back to help here."

Ino, Choji, Ibiki, and Yamato stood before the large group; these were the four that had been hidden in the village. They had not come out of the battle unscathed, in fact, both Ino and Ibiki were looking quite tired and injured.

Sighing slightly Kakashi spoke again, "We will split up into two teams of two," Kakashi began swiftly. "Kiba, Naruto,-"

A sudden surge of chakra stopped Kakashi's breath. It was a familiar chakra; one that he had encountered quite a few times, actually. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the few ninja who could sense the chakra as well.

"Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Sasuke, Sai with me," Kakashi called as he began sprinting towards the chakra. Turning around he allowed his voice to carry to those of the group who were left behind. "Everyone else start heading to Suna; Yamato you're in charge. We'll send word by Sai's ink bird on what we find."

The group of six shinobi followed behind Kakashi. Kakashi knew that the overwhelming chakra he was feeling right now was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki; it had been a good idea to mask their chakra. Hopefully the blue skinned Akatsuki member wouldn't see them coming.

Leaping over a few more buildings, Kakashi began to realize where they were heading; they were heading into the Nara Forest. Kakashi nodded his head slightly, and the group stopped running. "It appears Kisame Hoshigaki from the Akatsuki is trying to find something in the Nara Forest."

"I believe it would be the body of the so called immortal known as Hidan," Shikamaru spoke up quietly.

Raising a slight eyebrow, Neji spoke. "If he is looking for the Akatsuki member's body does that mean they have found a way to heal him?"

"That is a very high possibility," Kakashi spoke as his eyes started to widen slightly. "We need to take care of this; we will not kill Kisame. Allow me to place a tracking device on him so we can track him back to the Akatsuki base."

The group nodded, and Kakashi sighed. "Naruto," Kakashi said with a slight frown. "If this mission does lead us to the Akatsuki base I want you to head back to Suna. This is not an option. Now, let's go."

Without another word, Kakashi disappeared with a poof, followed by the six other ninja.

XxxX

Kisame sighed as he walked through the forest. He had no idea where Hidan's body had been buried; he only knew the body was being kept in the Nara forest. Leaping from tree to tree, Kisame quickly dodged a kunai that had been heading his way.

"So there are ninja still alive, huh?" Kisame's face morphed into anger, and he allowed a feral smirk to show. He grimaced slightly, and brought a hand to his cheek. He allowed himself to smirk slightly. "Stupid girl…" he muttered under his breath thinking back to the pinkette who had left him with a broken jaw. Kisame held his jaw, and cracked it into place. "That's better. Now who wants to come out and play?"

A fist was thrown quickly at his stomach, and Kisame was forced to flip backward. In front of the blue man stood a very pissed looking Kakashi Hatake. "What were you talking about?"

Kisame smirked slightly again before bringing his Samehada from his back. "Copy-nin… it sure has been a while," Kisame smirked. "I was hoping you hadn't died yet; I wanted to give you the pleasure of dying by my hand."

Kakashi ignored Kisame, and his sharingan quickly swirled in its socket. "What did you say about a girl?"

Kisame allowed a dark chuckle out before another kunai was thrown at him; this time the kunai came from behind and Kisame's eyes widened slightly. Kisame's eyes darted behind him, and he couldn't prevent the slight smirk that adored his features. "Ah, the young Uchiha; back so soon?"

Sasuke said nothing as his crimson eyes glared forward. "Kakashi asked you a question," Sasuke muttered while firing another kunai. "It would be wise of you to respond."

"So you think," Kisame muttered as his eyes flashed dangerously. "I cannot wait for you all to see what Akatsuki is currently up to… what has currently _come alive _in the organization."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto yelled as he appeared beside Kakashi. Naruto was glaring fiercely at the blue skinned man.

"Ah, the kyuubi," Kisame smirked. "It has been a while."

A shadow shot out from behind a tree, and held tightly onto Kisame. Shikamaru walked forward, and Kisame mimicked his actions.

"You are outnumbered," Kakashi said with a glare. "Tell us what we want to know. Who and what were you talking about?"

Kisame's smirk darkened, and he let out a deep chuckle. "Who ever said I was outnumbered? I'm not even here in the first place."

Kakashi, Sasuke and Neji simultaneously fired kunai at Kisame; all three hit the mark, allowing Kisame to poof out of existence.

"He must already have the body," Shikamaru stated while sighing heavily. "Kakashi we'll need your dogs, and Kiba we'll need your nose. We need to get on Kisame's trail as quickly as possible. Hopefully he'll be weighted down by Hidan's load."

Nodding quickly, Kakashi summoned his dogs; they had to find Kisame if they ever wanted to get revenge upon the Akatsuki, and hopefully ever find Sakura.

XxxX

Sakura sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time; it seemed like this shower water would never turn cold. Turning off the water, Sakura stepped out of the shower to find a towel. Finding a large black towel placed conveniently beside the shower, Sakura wrapped it around herself and sighed. It felt wonderful to be clean again.

Drying herself slightly with the towel, Sakura's eyes darted towards the clean clothes that lay mockingly on the counter. Sakura's eyes widened and immediately flew towards the bathroom door that lay completely unlocked. Itachi had come in while she was taking a shower… had he seen-?

Sighing in frustration, Sakura glared at the unlocked door before looking at the clothes on the counter. The clothes were obviously made for a woman: small black short shorts, a small black tank top, and a long, but feminine Akatsuki cloak.

Sakura quickly changed into the outfit, deciding to leave her Akatsuki cloak unzipped. It was too cold to walk around the base without the cloak, but Sakura didn't really like the thing. It stood against what she stood for… what she used to stand for, at least.

Sakura walked out of the bathroom, and decided to pulsate her chakra; Itachi would know where she was, and that she was done with her shower. Pulsating her chakra, Sakura felt Itachi stir somewhere in the base. Waiting a few short seconds, Itachi appeared in front of her.

"I am ready to have you show me my room," Sakura said with a small glare. Itachi ignored her glare, and began walking down the hallway; Sakura quickly followed behind. "Where is my room, exactly?"

"It will be in the middle of the base," Itachi said while his pace quickened. "It will be down the hall from Leader-sama, and across the hall from mine."

Nodding slightly, Sakura sighed before picking up her pace slightly. Following Itachi as he rounded a corner, Sakura halted her footsteps. A foot in front of her stood Pein; there was a weird look on his face. His eyes stared directly into her own, and he took a step forward.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as Pein's hands shot towards her Akatsuki cloak; her own hands flew up defensively. Pein's eyes were locked with her's as he took both her wrists in one hand. Allowing his other hand to wonder, his hand found the zipper, and he slowly began zipping the cloak up; he stopped only when the cloak had been zipped up all the way.

"You will wear your cloak zipped," Pein muttered in a slight monotone. Letting her wrists go, Pein took a step back before saying, "I expect you to be ready to heal Deidara after dinner." With that said, Pein turned and walked back the way he had come.

"We will continue, then," Itachi said before walking the way Pein had left. Sakura's eyes were still slightly wide, but she said nothing as she followed Itachi down the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello friends! I do realize this chapter is not as long as my previous ones; please do not take offense. I wanted to update this story before I went to bed so I guess I kind of ran out of steam at the end.

I wanted to update because today happens to be my birthday : ) and I wanted to give my readers a well deserved present.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Sakura's new room was lavish, to say the least. There was a large bed in the middle of the room, and an equally as large bookcase on the wall beside the bed. The walls were a soft blue; the color reminded Sakura of the sky.

Stepping into her new room, Sakura felt Itachi shift slightly at her door; he must be staying with her all day then. Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded slightly to Itachi. "You can come in," Sakura said it quietly. Walking over to the book shelf, Sakura almost gasped in surprise.

On the book shelf there were piles upon piles of books. Skimming over the titles of the books, Sakura realized a lot of them were medical books. Looking back to Itachi, who had found a seat beside her bed, she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "Were these books ordered because I would be brought here or…"

"This room once belonged to someone else," Itachi stated quietly while watching Sakura for a reaction. Sakura's eyes widened slightly, but then she nodded.

"Was it the female Akatsuki member?" Sakura asked with slight curiosity. She remembered what had happened… the female Akatsuki member, Konan, died in the battle to take over Konoha. "Will I be resurrecting her too?"

"Follow your orders and do what you're told," Itachi spoke in monotone "If you ask too many questions you'll end up dead."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura allowed a bitter smile to adorn face. "That's actually funny, Itachi," Sakura said with a hint of bitterness; the slight amusement in her tone of voice never managed to hit her emerald eyes. "None of you would ever think about killing me until after I have resurrected the rest of the Akatsuki."

Sakura didn't even notice when Itachi moved; he was instantly in front of her in a matter of seconds. Emerald eyes looked downward as she caught a slight glimpse of his sharingan swirling in his sockets.

Noticing she was not looking directly into his eyes, Itachi's hand shot out to Sakura's chin, and he pulled it up slightly. Looking into the fierce emerald, Itachi spoke in a painfully calm voice. "Just because we will not kill you does not mean we are not capable of other things, _Kunochi_, remember this before you speak."

With that said, Itachi turned and walked out of the room. Blinking slightly, Sakura watched him go; she was confused, but she couldn't really help it. It was surprising, but Itachi seemed the most normal out of the three Akatsuki members she had known; maybe not the most normal, but the politest.

Was he angry at her for being bitter? It wasn't like Sakura could hide her distaste for the men in the red and black robes. She was being kept against her will for Kami's sake; Sakura felt she had the right to be bitter. Glaring towards the door, Sakura glanced back to the book shelf. If her internal clock was working she only a few hours until dinner, and then after that she would have to heal Deidara.

Grabbing a book from the shelf that was labeled _Forbidden Healing Techniques, _Sakura quickly started reading. Reading had always helped the pink haired woman take her mind off things; she was hoping it would help now.

XxxX

It was cold and windy as group of seven shinobi continued to follow the scent of Kisame through the Konoha Forest. Kisame hadn't gotten that far away from the shinobi; it was only a matter of time before they caught up to him.

Naruto let out a deep growl as they sped faster; no one had known who Kisame was talking about… they all secretly hoped it was Sakura.

Increasing the group of seven's speed even more, Kakashi began to see a black and red cloak racing several trees in front of him. Growling, Kakashi began to close in on the large blue skinned man. "Didn't have enough time to get away?" Kakashi questioned as he let out another growl.

Kakashi thought the man before him was completely unforgivable; he had been one of the ones who had destroyed Konoha, and, Kakashi had a feeling that, Kisame had taken one of Kakashi's students from him… he had taken Sakura. Kakashi was going to rip Kisame's head off if the copy-nin did not get his answers.

Kakashi slammed a fist into the base of Kisame's neck. Kisame grunted slightly, but flipped forward, and tumbled gracefully to the floor of the forest. Standing before the group of seven this time, Kisame's smirk changed into a frown.

"You didn't answer my questions before," Kakashi growled from a few feet away; Kakashi's sharingan began to swirl in its socket. Kakashi's heart clenched slightly at Kisame's loud chuckle. Kakashi was making sure the man in front of him would get no where; Kakashi would get his answers this time around. He needed to know; if Sakura was dead… he didn't know how the rest of team seven would handle it, but he needed to know.

Kisame threw a large bag to the ground as Kakashi raced forward. Smirking again, Kisame dodged the punch aimed for his stomach. Countering Kakashi's next attack, Kisame raised his Samehada, and raced forward. "Who is she!" Kakashi questioned as raised a kunai against the large sword.

"Ah," Kisame smirked again as he leaped back a step, placing his large sword on his shoulder. "Why would you be so curious about this subject, Copy-nin?"

"Where is Sakura Haruno?" A calm voice asked from behind the silver haired man. Shikamaru walked out as his eyes focused on the blue skinned man in front of him. "We are aware Akatsuki has at least one hostage; you yourself told us it was a woman."

"I don't believe I ever said that, kid," Kisame grunted while moving his sword slightly; the man's eyes darted around to the seven chakra signatures that were before him. Smirking slightly, his eyes lingered on a certain blonde. "But if you're looking for the pink haired girl… she's dead."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Naruto shouted as he raced towards Kisame. Neji and Sasuke were quick to stop Naruto, however. "Sakura-Chan can't be dead!"

There was a deep chuckle from the blue skinned man; he smirked as he appeared before Naruto. "You sure about that, Kyuubi? When I was killing shinobi around the village a stupid pink haired girl stopped me from killing her sensei. Just as I killed her, she said something about her not being strong enough, she was never 'strong' enough."

Naruto let out a ferocious roar, and Kisame flipped backward. Landing beside the bag he had thrown earlier, Kisame smirked before mock saluting the shinobi before him. "If you have any more questions, please, feel free to ask." Kisame smirked as he looked at the group of seven before him; he had gotten to them, and he knew it. Smirking wildly, Kisame began sprinting away again; this time no one followed him.

"She really can't be dead… can she?"

XxxX

Sakura had read through the medical text book, and decided she needed to eat. It was almost dinner time anyhow, and she was sure Pein would force her to heal Deidara even if she hadn't eaten yet.

Stepping outside her new room, Sakura frowned slightly. Wasn't Itachi supposed to be watching her? He was really doing a crappy job of that, not like Sakura really minded. After his lecture, for lack of a better term, Sakura began to realize just how bad of a situation she was really in.

She had Itachi Uchiha, genjutsu master, as well as their Leader Pein who seemed to have developed a jutsu that attacked the heart. They could very much hurt her without killing her; the thought was somewhat scary, but Sakura really didn't care.

Sakura knew she would die after she had healed the rest of the Akatsuki members; she also knew that Pein would never keep his promise with their deal concerning Naruto. Sakura wasn't stupid by any means, and she knew Akatsuki wasn't an 'honorable' organization.

Sakura continued to think as she walked down the hallway, and into the kitchen. There was very little Sakura could do in her situation. It was obvious if she declined their offer to heal the rest of the Akatsuki she would very much end up dead, and that would be no help to anybody. However, if she agreed to Pein's terms and healed the Akatsuki at least she would be alive. If she was alive then maybe, just maybe she could do something to help Naruto.

Walking to the fridge, Sakura sighed before closing it. She just didn't feel like eating, though she knew she had to. Grabbing an apple from the fruit plate, Sakura sat at the table to eat it.

Thinking back to the leader of Akatsuki, how was he choosing who she would resurrect next? Did it have to deal with strength; if it did, then it was obvious why Itachi was the first to be resurrected, but then why would he resurrect Deidara next?

From what Sakura read in the bingo book, Deidara wasn't the S-Class fighter the rest of the Akatsuki were… he actually seemed less of a threat compared to the rest of them.

Sighing, Sakura thought back to all the things she learned about Deidara. Blonde hair, blue eyes, extremely loud, and obnoxious… hmm, kind of sounded like Naruto. Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the thought; was that what Pein was doing? Did he want her to resurrect Itachi first because Itachi reminded her of Sasuke, and now Deidara because he reminded her of Naruto… If this was the truth, then what kind of game was Pein playing? Whatever game, Sakura concluded, that it was not a good one.

Glaring at the half uneaten apple in her hand, she threw the apple into the trash can without batting an eyelash. Standing up, Sakura flared her chakra; she guess it was time to heal Deidara…

Itachi appeared in front of her instantly; a silent nod was exchanged between the two, and Sakura began to follow Itachi down the hallway.

Walking to that same room was less scary the second time around; especially since Itachi was the only one who accompanied her. She assumed Kisame had not come back from his mission yet, and that Pein was probably checking up on him.

Sakura watched as Itachi lead her to the same room he had once been laying dormant in. Sakura was curious as to what it felt like in such a state, but she wasn't about to ask Itachi about it.

Sakura watched as Itachi stopped in front of the door and began to make the same hand signs she had seen Pein use earlier; it seemed like every room had a seal on the door. Maybe that was just a precaution, but Sakura was fairly certain it was because of her.

Sakura stepped forward as Itachi opened the door. Nodding to a casket in the middle of the room, Sakura sighed before stepping into the room that reminded her so much of her surgical room in Konoha.

Walking up to the casket, Sakura watched as Itachi made the correct hand signs, and opened it for her. Staring down, Sakura shivered slightly as she noticed the state Deidara was in.

Both of Deidara's arms had been blown or cut off from the elbow down; Sakura assumed she would have to create new ones for him, just as she had created new eyes for Itachi. Sakura sighed; though this would take not nearly as much skill as it did to create the sharingan for Itachi, Sakura knew, she just knew, she would be out of chakra by the end of this session.

Sighing once again, Sakura glanced back towards Itachi before she nodded. Itachi grabbed Deidara's body and moved it to a very familiar looking slab. Making the necessary hand signs, Sakura once again bit her thumb and began her ritual. After the blood from her thumb was on all nine other fingers, Sakura's hands began to glow a faint pink again.

Walking closer to Deidara, Sakura slammed a hand down upon Deidara's forehead, and another on the place located above Deidara's heart.

XxxX

Overall, Deidara's surgery had taken less time than Itachi's had; it was probably because she was starting to understand the inner workings of the body better. Sakura stood back as she watched the blonde open his eyes for the first time in over a year.

Deidara's blue eyes matched Naruto's to a T, but Sakura felt nothing when they landed on her.

Deidara smirked slightly at the pinkette before him. Sitting up off of the examining table, Deidara extended a hand towards the girl. "I'm Deidara."

"She knows who you are," Itachi voiced from across the room. Itachi's eyes swirled into the sharingan as he glared at the blonde. "How else do you think you're alive?"

"Don't give me that shit Uchiha," Deidara muttered as he glared past Sakura. "You were the one who died before I did… woah, wait a second. How are you even alive right now?"

"Long story made simple," Sakura broke the silence and stare between the two. She was tired, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Sighing slightly she began to walk towards the door. "I resurrected both of you; now I'm going to sleep."

Deidara's eyes widened slightly at the pink haired woman's proclamation. "What?" Itachi glared but said nothing. "You mean you're not going to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"Leader-sama will inform you on the situation," Itachi spoke tonelessly as he moved from his spot against the wall. "You are to meet with him after you have been awakened."

Sighing before nodding, Deidara stood from the table he had been laying on. Walking over to the door, he smirked slightly. "So when did we get the cute girl?"

"She is a medical ninja from Konoha," Itachi spoke as he too exited the room. "Konoha was attacked over a week ago by the Akatsuki; she is one of the perks Akatsuki has obtained because of this."

Deidara smirked but kept walking; perks huh?

XxxX

The group of seven frowned as they made their way back to Suna; the news had been grave, and they were all saddened by this fact.

"I will get revenge for you, Sakura-Chan," Naruto growled while trying to stay under control; his eyes were flashing between blue and crimson at a rapid pace.

"We'll all get revenge on that bastard, dobe," Sasuke said with a frown.

"We'll have to regroup back in Suna, but we will go after the Akatsuki," Kakashi nodded his head sternly. "When I punched Kisame I was able to implant an unnoticeable chip that will allow us to track him. Even if we were not in time to save Sakura, we can at least kill the organization who killed her."

Naruto's eyes flashed crimson. "**Believe it."**


	7. Chapter 7

Ha ha, I should be studying for the final exam I have tomorrow, but I thought I owed you guys an update! I love you guys, and thank you for the reviews so far; keep them coming! And I made this chapter a little longer than the previous two, I hope you enjoy how things are going. :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

To say she was tired was an understatement, but she did feel better now after sleeping. Standing up in her bed, Sakura allowed a sigh to escape her lips. It had been a day since she had resurrected Deidara, and two since Itachi. If she kept resurrecting the Akatsuki at this rate, she would be dead in a few days. If the chakra exhaustion didn't kill her, she was sure Pein would. How many more Akatsuki did she have to resurrect anyway?

Sakura knew she would at least have to resurrect three more Akatsuki: Sasori, Hidan, and Zetsu. There was also a 'Tobi' Sakura remembered reading about in the bingo books, but Sakura had not heard whether this member was dead or not. That meant, at the least, she had three days left to walk around freely in the Akatsuki base. This also meant that she only had that many days to try and help Naruto by being here.

It was hard to believe that she could be dead in only a few days; she had to try harder to get information out of the Akatsuki. Maybe Deidara could tell her something. He seemed to only be a few years older than herself, and information could be easier to obtain from someone of her age compared to someone years older. Kisame also seemed like someone who would be likely to slip information easily; Sakura would have to just wait and see.

Sakura wasn't stupid enough to believe Deidara would just leak information out in front of her, though. She would need to manipulate him into doing it; out of all the members of Akatsuki, Deidara seemed the easiest to manipulate, not just because of his age, but also because of his attitude.

Walking to her wardrobe, Sakura picked out a mesh black tank top and spandex shorts. Glaring slightly, Sakura grabbed her Akatsuki robe before putting it on. Looking in the mirror, Sakura shuddered slightly remembering the last time she had left her Akatsuki cloak unzipped. Sighing slightly, Sakura left the robe unzipped; Pein didn't own her, and it was her choice whether to zip it or not.

Sakura smirked as she cast one more glance into the mirror; she had forgone her regular, white chest bindings and went with black ones. The black fit more with her current outfit, and her current mood.

Opening her door, Sakura immediately started to head in the direction of the kitchen; she was hungry and assumed the rest of Akatsuki was as well. Maybe if Sakura pretended she was happy and content it would help her cause; maybe it would allow her to gain trust, and that in turn would allow her to live a little bit longer.

No, Pein would see right through her. He knew she didn't want to be here… Itachi could see through her as well. Stepping into the kitchen, Sakura allowed her eyebrow to rise at the scene before her.

Kisame sat at the table next to Deidara; across from those two sat Itachi. Deidara was glaring at Itachi, Kisame was smirking, and Itachi was ignoring the two. Turning his head, Itachi watched as Sakura entered the room.

Ignoring Itachi's gaze, Sakura walked to the fridge and began to make breakfast.

XxxX

Deidara had just woken up, and decided to go into the kitchen. He needed to know more about the appetizing young woman they were living with. It was hard to believe she had been the one to resurrect them. Deidara couldn't repress a smirk as he saw Kisame and Itachi sitting in the kitchen quietly.

"Yo," Deidara said while taking the open seat next to Kisame. Sitting down, Deidara noticed a diminishing bruise on the blue man's face. Raising an eyebrow, Deidara lifted a finger to poke Kisame in the face. Kisame slapped his hand away, and snorted. "Where'd ya get the bruise?"

"Sakura," Kisame said with a nonchalant shrug. Raising a cup of sake to his lips, he smirked before downing it in one gulp.

"Sakura?" Deidara asked with a smirk of his own. "Aggressive is she? That's kind of hott, actually."

Deidara watched as Kisame snorted, and the Uchiha who had been silent until now, glared at the blonde.

"We are not to touch her," Itachi said in a cold tone. "Those are Leader's orders."

"What leader doesn't know won't kill him," Deidara spoke quietly under his breath. Looking up, Deidara flinched seeing the sharingan glaring back at him.

Itachi's hand shot straight for Deidara's throat, and the hand that caught his throat squeezed harshly. "She belongs to the leader. He has claimed her for himself."

Deidara let out a gasp as Itachi retracted his hand. He glared at Itachi as the Uchiha ignored him. Deidara's eyes turned into slits until something else caught his eye.

Deidara smirked as he watched the pink haired woman enter the kitchen; she truly was beautiful. At the sight of her, Deidara allowed all thoughts of what Itachi said to leave his mind. After talking to Leader-sama, Deidara was even more intrigued with the woman. She was Sakura Haruno, the woman who had killed his partner. He would have to thank her later for that…

Deidara allowed his eyes to wander down her body and he couldn't help but take a deep breath of air. How long had it been since he had been with a woman? Too long was his answer.

Standing, Deidara began to walk over to where Sakura stood. Ignoring the glare he felt from the Uchiha, he continued his walk until he was only a few inches behind her.

"Not much of a ninja if you can't sense someone's approach," Deidara commented with a frown as he took another step towards her. As Deidara tried to take another step closer to Sakura, he was sent flying backward.

Sakura shook her head slightly, and placed her foot back on the ground. She had mule kicked him backward. Though Sakura was planning on trying to get on Deidara's good side, she did not like being insulted. It was his fault when she really thought about it; it was his fault for underestimating her.

Turning around, Sakura glanced back to where Deidara now lay, across the broken kitchen table, unconscious. Kisame sat smirking with his sake glass and cup in hand; he shook his head slightly as his eyes landed on Deidara. Itachi held his tea glass in his hand and looked unaffected.

Smirking, Sakura turned around and continued to make breakfast.

XxxX

Kakashi sat in the middle of a very large council. The council was trying to decide what Suna's best interests were; whether Suna should help the remaining Konoha shinobi attack the Akatsuki or not.

"It would be incredibly stupid for Suna to join this battle," an elder council member stated. "If they were able to take Konoha out so quickly, what would they do to us?"

"Do not compare Suna and Konoha shinobi," another elder snorted. "Suna shinobi are built differently than Konoha shinobi; Suna ninja are made stronger.

"We are not here to discuss who is stronger," Gaara's calm, but irritated voice stated. "This invasion could have happened to anyone. The final decision here is mine, and mine alone; tell me the pros and cons and then be done with it."

"We owe Konoha; we need to help them," an elderly council member stated. Kakashi easily recognized him as Chiyo-sama's brother, Ebizou. "Konoha came to our aide when our Kazekage was in trouble now it is Suna's turn to return the favor."

"Don't be stupid, Ebizou," another council member spoke. "Konoha has benefited from us being allies as well."

"I'm not saying it hasn't," Ebizou spoke with a slight glare. "I want revenge for the people who have fallen to the Akatsuki; I think everyone does. This would be beneficial to Suna as well as Konoha."

The same council man as before snorted. "Konoha may have had losses in this battle, but are they important losses? Name an important person the Akatsuki has killed from Suna and Konoha."

"They killed my sister, Chiyo," Ebizou stated while looking downcast.

"And they have killed Sakura Haruno," Kakashi finally spoke up. It hurt him to say those words; words he wasn't sure he could believe himself.

"…Haruno, as the in the Hokage's apprentice was killed?" The council room quieted as Kakashi nodded firmly.

Frowning slightly, Gaara stood. "We have discussed this topic enough, and I have made a decision. I will send Kankuro to go with the Konoha ninja on their revenge plan. If they will need back up, I will send it. Kankuro is the only shinobi I can spare right now. I will also have some shinobi begin to rebuild Konoha.

"This is my decision as Kazekage, and it is final. We will avenge our fallen brethren."

Kakashi nodded and stood. Walking out of the conference room, he went to find Naruto. Sakura's death seemed to be hitting him the hardest, it seemed Naruto thought it was his fault.

Walking to the hotel room the group was staying at, Kakashi couldn't help but feel like Sakura's death wasn't Naruto's fault, it was his fault… If only he had taught Sakura more as a genin, then maybe she would still be alive.

Knocking on the door, Kakashi entered without a word. Kakashi sighed when his eyes fell on Sasuke; maybe Sakura's death had hit the young Uchiha the hardest…

Sasuke's face was pale, paler than it should have been, and Sasuke hadn't turned off his sharingan since they had seen Kakashi. There was obvious lack of sleep around Sasuke's eyes, and Kakashi then realized Sasuke had not slept as well. "Get some sleep, Sasuke."

"When are we leaving?" Sasuke asked as he ignored Kakashi's order.

"Tomorrow," Kakashi said with a sigh. "And we leave with the Kazekage's support."

XxxX

Deidara woke shortly after Sakura had finished making breakfast, though Sakura still ignored him. She grabbed a plate of food, and walked out of the kitchen.

Kisame smirked and shook his head as he too grabbed a plate, and followed Sakura into the living area.

Sakura sighed as she watched Kisame follow her into the living room. She knew there was going to be no punishment for her beating Deidara… she just wondered how Deidara was going to take it.

Kisame sat on the same couch as Sakura causing her to scoot closer to the corner. She was not yet comfortable, nor would she ever be comfortable around these men. These men were using her against her will; she was hoping to return the favor, and now this was her chance.

"Is Hidan's body extremely damaged?" Sakura asked after she took a bite of breakfast. She wanted this conversation to be casual. Casual was the only way she would get the information she needed.

"Why would you want to know that?" Kisame asked with a raised eyebrow. His eyes shone with mistrust as they darted towards the pink haired woman and she shrugged.

"I would be better prepared for the operation if I knew the extent damage to his body." Sakura lied easily.

"Huh," Kisame's eyebrow was still raised, but nodded his head nonetheless. "I was able to get all his body parts, though they are separated. There could also be some broken bones besides that… I had to drop his body a few times."

It was Sakura's turn to raise an eyebrow. It probably wasn't important, the reason Kisame dropped Hidan's body, but Sakura needed to make sure. "Too heavy for you?" She questioned with a smirk.

"Funny, _girl," _Kisame said after taking another bite of his food. "I ran into some… rebels on the way back to base. Leader-sama told me to have you look at my wounds when you awoke."

Inwardly smirking, Sakura nodded. "Yes, after breakfast," she said. Examining Kisame would allow her the chance to see who the 'rebels' he was talking about were. If Kisame was talking about anyone from Konoha, Sakura would be able to tell by his wounds.

Finishing her plate, Sakura walked it back into the kitchen. Her eyes almost danced with laughter at the look Deidara gave her, almost. She had to remind herself this was Akatsuki, and the Akatsuki were dangerous.

Sakura washed her plate, and walked back into the living room to wait for Kisame. Kisame grunted slightly at her, but set his plate down on the small table in the room. "I will be able to tell if you're using your chakra to harm me; Samehada will tell me."

Sakura nodded, and stood in front of Kisame. "What hurts?"

"The base of my neck," Kisame said as he tried to rub said area. Sakura nodded and walked behind Kisame. Allowing her hands to glow green, Sakura rested her hands along the back of Kisame's neck.

Soothing the muscles and growing bruise, Sakura noticed a slight inconsistency. Sakura allowed her eyes to widen, but her chakra did not falter. Allowing her hand to run over the chip that was implanted into his neck, Sakura smiled wistfully. This was placed by her Sensei… that meant Kakashi was still alive.

Sakura 'accidentally' scrapped her nail across the skin above the chip. She quickly dug the chip out, and put it into her cloak. At the scratch, Kisame grunted, but Sakura quickly healed over the small scrape.

"Finished," Sakura commented with a nod. She was finding it very hard not to smile; if Sakura kept the chip with her at all times, then Kakashi would be able to find her. Sakura started to walk back to her room when Kisame's hand grabbed her wrist tightly.

Sakura's eyes glanced up to Kisame's. "Thanks," Kisame said after a few moments of silence. "Leader-sama said you will be healing Sasori next; tonight if your chakra is up for it."

Nodding, Sakura started to walk back to her room. She needed to find a place to put the chip without the Akatsuki noticing. Either way, this was her only link to Konoha, and she was going to take it.

Walking into her room, Sakura quickly shut and locked the door. Sensing if there were any chakra signatures around her room, Sakura smiled when she felt none. Taking the chip out of her pocket, Sakura looked at the small thing.

The first time she had seen it was when her and Kakashi had been on a rescue mission. Kakashi had placed the chip on one of their targets. They allowed the target to escape, and they had been able to follow him back to his hideout, and then rescued the client.

The chip gave her a small piece of hope. Grabbing a kunai, Sakura cut a small slit on her wrist. Cringing slightly, Sakura placed the chip into her wrist, and then quickly healed the cut.

Hearing a knock at her door, Sakura's eyes widened slightly before she took in a deep breath and answered the door.

"Yes?" Sakura asked as she saw Itachi standing outside of her door.

Itachi's hand darted towards her, and Sakura was unable to stop him. Itachi gripped Sakura's wrists hard, while he lifted them until he was at direct eye level with her wrists. He eyed them critically before his eyes moved to hers.

"Why was chakra used on this wrist recently?" Itachi asked as his red eyes glared at her. Sakura took in a deep breath, but sighed.

"I cut my wrist with a kunai," Sakura said while looking into his crimson eyes. She was not lying, and Itachi would be able to see that. "I healed my wrist because of it."

Sakura saw what she thought was mistrust in Itachi's eyes, but she ignored it. "Is that the only reason why you came to my room?"

"No," Itachi said while taking a step back from Sakura. "You are to heal Sasori now."

Nodding her head, Sakura sighed before walking out of her room. She needed to control her chakra better; if Itachi could sense Sakura when she used such a little amount of chakra, she wondered idly what else he could sense.

XxxX

Naruto sat on the rooftop of the hotel the Konoha ninja were staying at. Tomorrow they would send two teams to the Akatsuki. Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sai would be the first team. Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Kankuro would be the second team. Overall, these seven were, and still are Konoha's strongest shinobi; they would kill the remaining Akatsuki.

They were doing this for Sakura; well at least team one was doing it for Sakura. Naruto watched the sunset as he allowed a few tears to shed. He should have been there for her; he should have been able to protect her.

He would never forgive himself. The only thing he could think of that would make some kind of amends would be if he killed all of Akatsuki, and that was what he planned on doing.

His eyes wandered over to where Kakashi sat, and Naruto wondered what Kakashi was thinking.

"Kaka-sensei," Naruto called to the silver haired man. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm not thinking, Naruto," Kakashi said with his eyes closed. "There's something going wrong with the chip I implanted in Kisame."

"What?"

"It's no longer attached to Kisame," Kakashi said quietly. Naruto's eyebrow rose and he walked over to where his sensei sat.

"How can you tell?" Naruto asked.

"The chip is sensing a different chakra," Kakashi said while his eyes were still closed. "I can't tell who it is."

"If it was one of the Akatsuki wouldn't they have destroyed it?" Naruto asked with a bit of hope in his eyes.

Kakashi nodded with a small smile. "There must be a Konoha shinobi being held hostage there. This mission will no longer only be a mission of revenge. It will be a rescue mission as well."

"But who are we rescuing?"

"I don't know, Naruto," Kakashi said with a sigh. "But it's our duty as Konoha shinobi to rescue someone in need."


	8. Chapter 8

Who is up for a new chapter? How about another twist in the plot? : ) I hope you're ready kiddies because here's another chapter!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto**

Ohh, and reviews are always appreciated : ) Please and thank you!

* * *

Sakura was beginning to get used to the room she now stood in. The 'medic' room as Kisame had dubbed it was a place she felt the most comfortable in, it was no real surprise though. Walking over to the slab, Sakura couldn't help but sigh.

It still perturbed her that she would be bringing back to life a man she had killed with her bare hands. It also worried her; how was he going to react to seeing her again? She was the last face he saw before he died, and now she would be the first face he saw when he woke.

Sakura glanced curiously behind her; Kisame, Deidara and Itachi leaned on the wall behind her. Did they really thing she would mess up procedure, or were they just curious? Two out of the three had seen the operation done before, so Sakura could probably rule out the curiosity part, for at least those two. Sakura also knew Itachi would not be able to copy this procedure no matter how many times he watched it being done. Even with the sharingan it was impossible to recreate medical ninjutsu, the thought made Sakura smile slightly.

She thought Deidara could probably be curious, if it was not for the blatant stare that he was directing at her. The stare caused Sakura's smirk to widen, but she chose to ignore the blonde. Maybe he came down just to make sure Sakura wouldn't mess up his partner's resurrection; Sakura didn't know, nor did she care to ask.

Closing her eyes, Sakura quickly began to make the hand signs she had become so accustom to making. Biting her finger, Sakura allowed the blood to drip over her hand before placing both her hands on Sasori's chest.

His heart would probably need the most chakra to heal. Sakura wasn't aware how or why Sasori was skin and bones in front of her. She remembered the red head as being wood… if she needed to, maybe this new found information would make it easier to kill the red head.

Allowing the pink chakra to escape through her palms, Sakura closed her eyes and allowed the pink chakra to consume her whole body. Sakura felt an overflowing amount of power running through her and she could not help but to shiver. If this chakra would have been anything other than medical chakra Sakura was almost sure she would have been able to escape a few days earlier.

As it was though, Sakura was only able to heal the men that lay before her. Mentally smirking, Sakura allowed some of the pink chakra to swirl around her forehead before she stored some chakra within the diamond on her forehead. Itachi wouldn't even see her storing this chakra; the chakra engulfed her to the point that one would not be able to tell which was her chakra and which was the jutsu's.

Squeezing her eyes tighter, Sakura began to slowly coax Sasori's heart to beat. One thump, two thumps, Sakura smiled when the heart thumped a third time. Sakura flushed the pink chakra throughout Sasori's whole body, and waited while his body functions began to work. The process was not a fast one, though it was not a slow one either. All in all, Sasori's body was functioning a half an hour sooner than Deidara's had.

Sakura allowed the rest of the pink chakra to be stored within the diamond on her forehead when she realized she was done healing Sasori. Sighing slightly, Sakura opened her eyes and tried to take a step backwards; the hand at her wrist prevented her from doing so.

Sasori appeared to be wide and alert as his rusty brown colored eyes glared at Sakura. Sakura tried to take a step back only to have Sasori's grip tighten on her wrist. "What-"

"Sasori," Itachi's cool voice spoke over the quiet room. "Leader-sama ordered the girl to bring you back."

"Bring me back-" Sasori's eyes shone with realization and he started to stand from the table. His eyes glanced back to Sakura and he tightened his hold on her wrist. "So you were successful in killing me; I wonder, then, what would make you bring me back to life."

Sakura grimaced as Sasori now stood before her. His hand dropped her wrist but went straight for her neck. Sakura narrowly flipped backward and glared at the red head. Sasori's eyes shown with something Sakura couldn't quite recognize. Maybe it was something between recognition and amusement; she really couldn't tell with these men.

"We are not to kill her, Sasori," Kisame said while taking a few steps forward until he stood beside the pink haired woman. "Leader-sama has been using her to resurrect Akatsuki."

"I obviously could not tell that, Kisame," Sasori's eyes shone a little in annoyance before his eyes were drawn back to Sakura. "So you have been healing the Akatsuki; why the sudden change of heart, little girl?"

Sakura ignored Sasori and walked out of the room with a sigh; she really needed a shower not an interrogation session.

"I will not wait for Leader to explain this to me," Sasori stated bluntly while looking at the eldest Uchiha.

"Akatsuki attacked Konoha a few short weeks ago," Kisame stated from beside the raven haired man. "Konoha was crushed and Sakura Haruno was a prize Akatsuki won."

"Konoha is gone, then?" Sasori mused with a small smirk on his face. "Then we should be attacking Suna next."

"Correct," Itachi finally spoke up. "After Haruno resurrects Hidan and Zetsu we will launch our attack on Suna; then on the Kyuubi."

"Hmm," Sasori stated with a small smirk. "I wonder what would make Sakura Haruno agree to resurrect Akatsuki."

"That you will have to discuss with Leader-sama," Itachi stated while walking towards the door. "Now that you are awake, I will take my leave."

"Me too," Kisame stated with a slight smirk before he followed Itachi out the door. Sasori's eyes wandered to the back of the room where Deidara still stood silently.

"No hello, Deidara?" Sasori asked with a slight eyebrow raise. "No 'Sasori-danna?'"

"No," Deidara stated with a slight glare as he took a step away from the wall.

"What seems to be the matter then, Deidara?" Sasori asked with another eyebrow raise. Deidara grunted and took a few steps until he stood right before Sasori.

"Stay away from Sakura," Deidara stated with a fierce glare towards the red head. Taking a step towards the door, Deidara stopped when he heard Sasori's dark chuckle.

"You wish to have her for yourself, Deidara?" Sasori asked with a smirk. Sasori walked past a frozen Deidara and couldn't help as another chuckle rang from low in his throat. "What a childish thought that would be."

Deidara growled as he watched Sasori walk away.

XxxX

A figure smirked as they stood before the desecrated village of Konoha; the village that he had ordered be destroyed. It was a pity that Sasuke and Itachi did not help him in this; such a pity.

Walking down the streets, the figure stopped once they were outside what had once been the Uchiha village. Smirking, the figure picked up an Uchiha crest before snapping it in half.

The figure threw half of the crest behind him where a soft grunt was heard. "You shouldn't try to sneak up on someone, Pein." The figure smirked before turning around.

"Kisame has just confirmed that Sasori has been resurrected; that means we have six active Akatsuki members."

"Seven if you count Sakura Haruno," the figure said. "Though we could not get Tsunade-hime, Sakura-Chan was defiantly a good constellation prize."

"Hn," Pein grunted before nodding which caused the figure to chuckle again.

"Do not worry, Pein," the figure chuckled. "You can have Sakura-Chan; at least for the time being… Sakura-Chan is an essential part of my plans."

"I understand," Pein said with a nod as his eyes glared towards the ground.

Evil laughter was his response. "I think it's time for me to meet Sakura-Chan," the figure stated with a smirk.

"Yes, Madara-sama," Pein said with another nod as he and the figure disappeared.

XxxX

Kakashi let a small smile on his face as his eyes looked up at the shinning sun. There was a good chance Konoha had someone on the inside of Akatsuki; Kakashi could only come up with a few people that could be strong enough to withstand Akatsuki, and they were all members of Anbu. Well them, or maybe Sakura.

Kakashi couldn't prevent the small glimmer of hope that rested just above his heart. Could Kisame had been lying to them? It was a possibility. Deception was a part of being a shinobi; Kakashi clearly knew that. Kisame telling them Sakura was dead had practically deterred them from going after Kisame; it had stunned them stiff.

Kisame had let it slip it was a woman that was within the Akatsuki grasp. Kakashi really couldn't think of another strong Kunochi that could still be alive; especially one that would have been able to recognize the chip he had implanted within Kisame.

Then again, this could always be a rouse. A way to get the remaining Konoha shinobi in one place, and then try to attack them. It would have been very smart, but Kakashi knew his chip was almost undetectable unless one would be looking for it.

Again his thoughts went back to Sakura. Kakashi knew as a shinobi it would be stupid to hope, but looking to his left he couldn't help but to hope. Sasuke looked eager to leave. Kakashi had noticed that it was rare for the young Uchiha to show emotion, but that small amount of emotion caused a small amount of hope in Kakashi.

Sasuke couldn't help the small smirk that set on his mouth. He would be getting revenge again, and this time it would be for his teammate. He had avenged his clan, and now he promised to do the same for Sakura.

Had she waited for him? Sasuke assumed she had. Sasuke's feelings for Sakura had not changed, but he still held her tightly in his heart as a teammate and a close friend. Had she been alive when he had returned, Sasuke might have also considered her family.

It would be good to fight along side Konoha again, Sasuke thought. Good to get revenge while on Konoha's side; like Sasuke had always said, he was an avenger.

Naruto stood on the other side of Kakashi a firm smile set in his features. Glancing around, Naruto couldn't help but be confident with the shinobi picked to go on this mission.

Of course it was him, Kakashi and Sasuke. The others included Sai, Yamato, Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba. It was a strong team; one that would show the Akatsuki no mercy. It was also one that, he hoped, would rescue whoever needed their help in Akatsuki.

Either way, Kakashi had said it wouldn't take them very long to get to the Akatsuki hideout. They would be there soon, and hopefully the person in need would be alright until then.

XxxX

Sakura sighed in ecstasy as she laid on her bed. She had just taken probably the longest shower of her life, and she felt very satisfied with herself. Now she would just have to avoid the rest of the Akatsuki until Kakashi came to find her; then everything would be perfect.

Sakura's eyes darted towards her door as she felt a chakra signature stand outside of it. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura noticed she was only in a towel and sighed. Walking over to the door, she opened it rather harshly before glaring at the man that stood before her; it just so happened to be Sasori.

The red head said nothing as he walked into Sakura's room. Sakura turned without shutting the door, and glared at the red head. "What?" She asked as Sasori found a comfortable seat on her bed.

"Leader-sama is not back yet, and I want to know the reason why you resurrected me," Sasori stated simply.

Sakura closed her eyes as she shook her head. "Sasori I believe now is not the time, and I really don't want to have this, or any unnecessary conversation for that matter."

Sasori grunted but only glared at what Sakura said. "I will not wait for Leader-sama to return," Sasori stated. "If you do not tell me, I have other means to persuade you."

"And I wonder what those would include," Sakura mused out loud as she walked to her closet. Grabbing a black tank top and mid thigh spandex shorts Sakura walked back into the bathroom. "If you want to know Leader and my agreement, then you will wait until I have changed."

Sakura smirked as she could practically hear Sasori's glare. Taking her time to change, Sakura put her tank top and shorts on without wearing her robe. Opening her bathroom door, Sakura walked over to her desk and took a seat. Turning her chair around to look at Sasori, she sighed again before speaking.

"Pein agreed to stop his attempts on Naruto's life if I agreed to resurrect the Akatsuki," Sakura said as she watched Sasori, waiting for a reaction.

"That is foolish," Sasori said without even caring about giving his opinion on the situation away.

"I realize Pein will never stop his attempts to get Naruto," Sakura agreed with a nod. She would not tell Sasori everything, that would be 'foolish' as he had said earlier. "My choice was to either agree or die."

"If you are as loyal to Konoha as I still believe you are," Sasori said as he now watched Sakura for a reaction, "I would say you have ulterior motives for staying here. Any loyal shinobi would have rather died then do this."

"Hmm," Sakura's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Now why would you believe that, Sasori?"

"You're too smart not to," Sasori stated while standing from his spot on Sakura's bed. "I believe Leader-sama will realize this as well. Do not be stupid and leak your ulterior motives, Sakura."

"I'm not stupid enough to trust any one here," Sakura said as she watched Sasori walk to her door. "That would be a mistake no shinobi can make."

"True," Sasori said with a smirk as he reached her door. "Dinner will also be served shortly. I believe Itachi is cooking."

Sakura raised her eyebrow slightly but stood from her chair. Grabbing her cloak as it rested on her chair, Sakura felt for the other members of Akatsukis' chakra. Pein had returned, as well as someone Sakura had not met before.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sakura felt the chakra of this new person. It was an obviously large amount of chakra, but Sakura also felt like the person was concealing a great deal of chakra as well. Putting on her cloak and zipping it up, Sakura idly wondered who this new person would be.

The bingo book had been sketchy on information of the individual members of Akatsuki. Sakura realized the only member of Akatsuki that was uncounted for was Tobi, and this foreign chakra must be said person. Sensing the chakra signature was in the kitchen, Sakura decided to follow Sasori to that destination.

This person, be it Tobi, or someone else was extremely powerful. Maybe even more powerful than Pein. Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to feel out the chakra signature even more. The signature not only seemed to be powerful, but matured as well. Like this person had been in more battles than Sakura and the rest of the Akatsuki combined.

Sakura followed Sasori as they walked into the kitchen. Sakura's eyes quickly scanned each member, recognizing them easily as someone she knew. Flinching out of instinct, Sakura flipped backward and narrowly dodged being tackled. Her eyes darted towards the now crumpled heap on the floor, and they narrowed instantly.

This was the chakra signature she had been sensing…

"Ow, Sakura-Chan! Sakura-Chan shouldn't hurt Tobi!" The figure said while standing. The male before her had a swirled orange mask, and raven hair. Sakura glanced at the mask and noticed only a small eye hole; small enough to where this 'Tobi' person could look out, but one could not look in; what was he trying to hide?

"Sakura," it was Pein's voice that spoke this time. Sakura's eyes did not leave Tobi as she nodded her head over to Pein; something about Tobi did not sit well with her. "Are you well enough to resurrect Hidan tomorrow?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded once while walking towards the table, her eyes still on the orange masked man. "After lunch."

"Very well then," Pein said. Nodding towards Tobi, he spoke again, "Sakura this is another member of the Akatsuki, Tobi."

"Tobi is happy to meet Sakura-Chan!" Tobi said. Sakura's eyes held mistrust but she ignored the orange masked man, for now.

"Hm," Sakura voiced while sitting down. Her eyes wandered until she saw Itachi getting ready to plate their food. Sakura watched as the rest of the Akatsuki began to sit down as well; Deidara and Kisame sat beside her while Pein and Tobi sat across from her.

"Tobi is happy to see Deidara-senpai!" Tobi yelled with fake glee. Sakura had already seen through this man as soon as he tried to tackle her. He was testing her abilities with that little stunt; Sakura assumed she had passed.

XxxX

After dinner Sakura stayed behind to clean the dishes. After doing so, she started to head back to her room. Turning off the kitchen light, Sakura could already feel the chakra that waited for her outside this door.

"Sakura-Chan!" Tobi yelped with glee as he moved to stand beside Sakura. Sakura narrowed her eyes, however, and threw a kunai at the masked man. Tobi dodged by flipping backward.

"I'd rather face the real Tobi, than be jerked around by this half ass acting routine," Sakura said with a glare. "I'm not stupid enough to believe your intentions are good ones. No one's intentions in Akatsuki are."

A dark chuckle could be heard from the orange mask, and Sakura stopped herself from shuddering. "Always so bright, Sakura-Chan," a more matured 'Tobi' voice spoke. "That is why you will be so essential to Akatsuki. But does that mean your intentions aren't as pure as they seem?"

Sakura took a step back, but stopped when she felt something solid behind her. "It would be such a shame to kill you, Sakura-Chan," Tobi spoke again. Sakura's eyes widened slightly, but she did not react. How could he move without her sensing it?

Sakura flinched when she felt the man's hand lightly caress her arm; what was up with these men and their need to touch her? She glared as she wrenched her arm away from his, and took a step forward.

"I am not here of my own accord," Sakura said with a glare. "Once Akatsuki and my agreement has been fulfilled I will be leaving."

The dark chuckle escaped Tobi's throat again, and Sakura couldn't help but flinch. "So you think, Sakura-Chan," the man said while he disappeared. "So you think."


	9. Chapter 9

I updated again : ) and you're going to like this chapter even more than the last one because *squeals* there's a kiss in this one. Ohh, and I'll be updating more now because I'm on winter break for a month! Yay for freedom.

Konoha ninja meet the new and improved Akatsuki! Sorry this chapter isn't as long as the last one; I wanted to get this one out for you kiddoes!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

P.S. Review make me happy and that inturn makes me update faster. Thank you to everyone who as reviewed so far; this chapter is dedicated to you!

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He sat in his office a frown set on his features. He had sensed Madara's chakra near Sakura's and somehow it perturbed him. Sakura belonged to him, Pein; Madara had even agreed to these terms. Why wouldn't this man leave his angel alone?

Pein was the one who brought Sakura into the Akatsuki; he's the one that went to find her. Madara would not even know about Sakura if it weren't for Pein. Sakura would always belong to him by default.

Glaring ahead of him, Pein stood and left his office. Though he could no longer feel Madara's chakra near Sakura, he still had to go make his claim. He needed to remind her who she belonged to.

He stalked down the hallway while searching for Sakura's chakra. The girl's chakra was easy to find. Her pure, pink chakra was almost ethereal; she was defiantly an angel. His angel, he saw her immediately.

He had been thinking their relationship over for the past few days, that was why he had stayed away from her for so long. He had come to terms with himself; he would be with the girl, whether she liked it or not. He also would not stand for her getting in his way. She would be a possession, one Pein was greedy enough to have and enjoy for himself.

Pein stopped only when he was about an inch away from the pink haired woman. She stood frozen seeming to be lost in thought. Pein smirked and drew closer to the oblivious woman.

"Did you have a nice chat with Tobi, Sakura?" Pein asked as he suddenly appeared before her. He watched as her eyes widened suddenly, and he couldn't help himself as his hand slowly began hovering over Sakura's arm. He needed to touch her; it had been too long sense he had last done so.

The woman seemed to be frozen, she was not sure what to do with Pein's sudden appearance. Pein blamed her lack of resistance on Madara; though Pein hated the man, that made it all the better for Pein.

Both of his hands shot to the back of her head pulling her closer to him. His hands went through her soft pink locks, and he felt her shiver beneath him. Smirking, his lips started to trace the tips of her mouth, until his lips attacked her lips with full force.

His lips moved against her soft looking pink ones; they were as warm and inviting as he'd expect them to be. Biting down on her lower lip, Sakura's gasp was enough to allow his tongue inside her moist, pink cavern.

Smirking, Pein backed Sakura slowly into a wall and allowed one hand to play with her hair while his other moved to her waist. This seemed to awaken the pink haired vixen, because she tightened her fist, and appeared to be about to lash out against him. Just as she was about to attack him with her fist, Pein grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. Moving his lips a few inches away from her still non-reacting ones, Pein allowed another smirk to rise upon his face.

Pein moved in to peck another kiss on Sakura's lips, but was interrupted by the sudden flair of chakra. "Hmm," he stated lightly, ghosting over her lips. Looking into her confused emerald eyes, he smirked and backed up a few feet. He allowed his eyes to roam over Sakura's body before he disappeared.

XxxX

As Pein disappeared, Sakura's knees gave out and she fell to the ground. Were all the men here going to play mind games with her? She refused to be treated like this; like some plaything. The next time Pein tried to come near her she would attack.

Even though Sakura she was still confused and thoroughly distracted thanks to Pein, Sakura had felt that sudden surge of chakra. She was still sensing it actually; the chakra, it was familiar. Sasuke?

Sakura gasped slightly before sending chakra into her legs. If Sasuke was here did that mean Kakashi had found her? Smiling slightly, Sakura's legs began to move even faster. Trying to sense chakra around her, Sakura found she could not sense anyone immediately inside the hideout. Moving towards what she assumed to be the front door, Sakura faltered when she felt the chakra blocks on the door.

Of course they would remember to seal the door! They wouldn't be so stupid as to leave her with an unlocked door; she was still a prisoner.

Placing glowing green chakra on the door, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to sense what type of chakra seal this was. Waiting a moment, Sakura opened her eyes and smiled slightly.

The seal was a complicated one that would take some time, but Sakura would be able to crack it.

XxxX

Kakashi smirked as he raced ahead in the forest. Nodding to the seven shinobi that surrounded him, he knew they were ready for whoever and whatever lay ahead. At least he thought they were, but that was only until Itachi Uchiha appeared in front of them.

"Ah, Copy-nin," Itachi spoke with a slight head nod. "Little brother."

"Itachi- What I killed you!" Sasuke's voice let out a high pitched yell. Kakashi watched as the young Uchiha sprang after the elder one.

"What the hell is going on?" Kakashi grumbled under his breath as he and the remaining members sprang forward. His sharingan swirled in his eye socket while he glanced at Itachi. It was really the Uchiha… he was really alive.

"Confused, Copy-ninja Kakashi?" A bored yet cold voice spoke from before them. The red head that resembled Gaara so much walked out from the darkness and smirked at the Konoha ninja. "Did you believe I was dead, too?"

A dark chuckle was heard as the orange hair leader appeared from nothing. "We had a feeling you would be coming here, Konoha ninja." Pein spoke. Glancing around, Kakashi realized there was a few more ninja around him.

"If I'm not mistaken, half of the shinobi here are supposed to be long dead," Shikamaru's bored voice drawled from behind the group of Konoha nin. Taking a step forward, Shikamaru's eyes glanced around the Akatsuki group, and sighed.

"You Konoha nin talk too much," Kisame spoke as he raised his samehada.

Glaring ahead, Kakashi signaled the ninja around him. Nodding his head, the ninja broke out into singles and pairs, and went towards the Akatsuki members.

Kakashi was slightly shocked that Naruto had stayed quiet up until now. His sharingan eye glanced toward the blonde as he watched both Sasuke and Naruto take on the now living Itachi.

Something about this scene wasn't right; most of these member should be dead. Dodging a blow that came, seemingly out of no where, Kakashi glared towards the orange haired man before him. This must have been his doing; somehow the leader had rose his fallen shinobi from the dead. Kakashi was determined to find out how he did that.

Taking a quick glance at the rest of his team, Kakashi sighed as he began to create hand signs. Shikamaru stood before Sasori as Sasori stood about to summon a few puppets, Kiba and Neji before Kisame, Yamato was already fighting the orange masked man, and Sai and Deidara were flying on their birds.

By rights, Kakashi thought as he dodged another attack sent from the orange haired man, most of the men before him should not be alive. It should have been eight against three, but it was now eight against six.

Doing his own hand signs, Kakashi summoned his chidori as he launched himself at Pein. These bastards were going to pay for what they did to Konoha, he was going to make sure of it.

Kakashi's chidori fist was thrust against the ground as the leader dodged quickly. Kakashi had his gray eye closed as his sharingan spun in it's socket. "How are there men here that should be long dead and buried?" Kakashi asked as he flipped backward away from a barrage of kunai.

"Hmm," Pein spoke as a slight smirk. "A simple technique such as resurrection; I'm sure you've heard a secret technique such as this in Konoha."

"Is that why you attacked Konoha?" Kakashi asked with a glare as he made a few hand signs. A large water dragon appeared behind him and darted towards Pein.

Pein just dodged the dragon as a slight chuckle left his throat. "Like we would invade Konoha for something so trivial. If we wanted to obtain the scroll we would have; we obtained something much more valuable in Konoha's destruction."

"And what would that be?" Kakashi growled slowly losing his patience. Why was this man before him so confident? It was almost like the leader of Akatsuki knew something Kakashi didn't; something very important.

"Not a what," Kakashi heard the blue skinned man bark from a few meters away. Kakashi looked to Kisame and saw the large smirk on his face. "A who."

"Then I'll rephrase the question," Kakashi said while drawing a kunai. Throwing the kunai forward, Kakashi quickly followed the knife up with a couple quick punches. Pein dodged the punches and darted backward. "_Who _did you gain that was so valuable?"

"Her."

XxxX

Sakura opened her eyes and let a frustrated sigh out of her mouth. There had been so many seals on this door. Feeling the chakra on the other side of the door reminded Sakura that the seals were almost all diminished.

Doing a few more hand signs, Sakura smiled slightly as the door creaked open. She was finally going to be free. Opening the door completely, Sakura raced through it and her eyes widened at the scene before her.

Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Sai, Yamato, Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba. They were here, and they were here to save her! Racing through the door, Sakura stopped when she caught the blonde's eyes.

"Saku-Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled as he tried to run towards her. A swift move from the elder Uchiha knocked Naruto backward. Naruto grunted as he flew back a few feet, a redish tint to his eyes as he glared forward. "**Get out of my way."**

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as Naruto began to lose control of his demon. She started to run towards him, but stopped when two hands firmly grasped her waist. Turning her head slightly, Sakura cringed when she saw Itachi standing behind her, a kunai poised directly to her neck.

"I would suggest you put down your weapons, Konoha shinobi," Itachi's cold voice spoke loud enough for the whole battle field to hear.

Sakura cringed when she felt all eyes on her; wide eyes from her comrades, indifferent eyes from the Akatsuki. She cringed even more when she felt Itachi's warm breath on the back of her neck; was he trying to taunt her? "Such a stupid little girl believing you were saved," Itachi's voice seemed to caress her ear as her eyes stared forward.

Silver caught the corner of her eye, and Sakura watched as Kakashi raced forward. His eyes were wide and he was rapidly creating hand signs. He wasn't thinking; Sakura could see that right away. It seemed that he ignored all of his ninja skills; ignored everything as he stared into her eyes.

"Kakashi!" Sakura yelled what appeared to be a second too late. As the Konoha shinobi stood in awe at Sakura being alive, Deidara had been using the time to create a bomb in the form of a large bird; a bird that would destroy anything and everything once it went off. Sakura yelled as the bomb flew towards Kakashi.

"Katsu!"

Spoke and debris flew everywhere as Sakura felt Itachi's grip on her tighten. Itachi had pulled Sakura to the ground a second before the bomb when off; his body was hovering of hers. Sakura chose to ignore Itachi's proximity as her eyes closed while she tried to feel for Kakashi's chakra; he had taken a direct hit from Deidara's bomb. Feeling Kakashi's chakra fading fast, Sakura, using chakra, harshly pushed Itachi's body away from her own. Standing up, she sprinted to Kakashi's body.

"Stop her," Sakura heard from her left. Ignoring the comment, Sakura dodged a pair of hands that were reaching for her waist. Running forward, Sakura saw the bloodied body of Kakashi.

"You're sharingan is supposed to see everything, Kakashi," Sakura sighed as she kneeled next to him. Bringing chakra to her hands immediately, Sakura's hands darted to Kakashi's face; it appeared to have taken the brunt of the abuse.

"I would suggest you stop," Itachi stated while holding a kunai to her neck. Sakura glared forward but allowed even more chakra to leak from her hands. She ignored the position she was in; the position she seemed to be in more times than not.

"Sakura," Pein said in a warning tone. Sakura's eyes darted to the orange haired nin that stood next to Itachi; Pein didn't seem angry, but he did seemed annoyed.

Sakura's eyes turned glossy as she looked at the man before her. The man that had saved her life a numerous number of times; she'd put Kakashi's life over her life any day. "I will cause Akatsuki no further trouble if you allow me to heal this man." Sakura said while her hands still glowed green.

Pein raised an eyebrow and looked around the battle field. The Konoha shinobi had not been expecting Deidara's bomb, that much was obvious from the chaos scattered around them. All eight Konoha shinobi lay battered in someway or another. Sakura was right to try and tend to the copy-nin first, he did look the worst out of the bunch.

Looking down on the young woman, Pein nodded before taking a step back. He had seen

this woman resurrect his men; he was curious to see how she would heal, not resurrect. "Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, grab the remaining bodies and pack up everything necessary. We will leave here shortly."

Sakura's hands were surrounded in an emerald green color as she set them to work on Kakashi's face. "Please forgive me Kakashi," Sakura spoke quietly as her chakra wove into his. After a few short minutes, Kakashi's face was healed without a blemish, and Sakura moved to Kakashi's chest.

After healing his chest, Sakura turned around and looked at Pein. She was drenched in blood, and Pein had never seen something more beautiful. Sakura took a step forward and then sighed. She need to weigh her options; it was possible for her fellow Konoha shinobi to come after her again, actually it was more than possible. If she did not do something now, they would continue to search for her, and continue to get hurt.

Closing her eyes tightly, Sakura moved her hand towards her kunai pouch. She felt Pein's intense stare as Sakura gripped the hilt of the kunai tightly, and slit her wrist. She watched as Pein took a step forward, but before he could reach her, Sakura held a tiny chip out for him to see.

"This is how Konoha found us," Pein muttered as he glared at the small chip. Sakura nodded slightly before turning around and setting the small device next to Kakashi.

Standing, Sakura took a step forward and cringed as a hand harshly grabbed her injured wrist. "Should we get going, Sakura-Chan?" Tobi stated while gripping her wrist tighter.

Sakura ignored the orange masked man as she slipped her wrist out of his grasp. Sakura found herself drawn closer to Pein as to keep away from the orange masked man. When Itachi, Deidara and Kisame came out of the hideout, Sakura found herself almost grateful.

"Deidara," Pein smirked slightly as he watched Sakura slip closer to himself. "Take Sakura to the Iwa hideout. We shall follow you shortly from the ground."

Deidara smirked to himself and nodded. Creating a giant clay bird, Deidara nodded toward Sakura who got on the bird compliantly. He followed quickly behind, and gripped her waist tightly as the bird spread its wings and began to fly; he couldn't let a woman fall now could he?


	10. Chapter 10

I hope everyone's ready for an update! This is my gift to you for new years!

I can't believe it friends; this story has 105 reviews so far. Thank you all so much! I love reading each and every review. Recently, a review named _Shining Through _has reviewed everyone of my chapters; this chapter is dedicated to you!

Ohh, and sorry I couldn't update sooner. I really wanted to, but then this wonderful Pein Sakura fic popped into my head, and I started writing… Well I haven't posted the story yet, but if you want a little preview let me know, and I'll message you the summary. : )

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Thinking was all Sakura could do at this moment. She needed to think. Could she truly give into the Akatsuki like she had promised Pein she would? That question was the most important thing that was running through her mind at this moment.

Could she even be truly committed to the Akatsuki? Sakura thought she would always be loyal to Konoha ninja, but now, she just didn't know. It wasn't their fault she was in this mess, but she couldn't help but resent the fact that they would be out living their lives and she would be stuck here with the Akatsuki.

Which brought Sakura to another thought: if Pein had lied about the agreement with the Kyuubi, which Sakura knew he had, why couldn't she lie about being faithful to Akatsuki?

It was a reasonable thought, but Sakura knew the answer. No matter what organization she was tied to, Sakura Haruno was an honor bound Kunochi. Sure, she loved Konoha, but her word was her word. If Sakura promised something, she would go through with it.

It had all been worth it though; Kakashi would still be alive. Hopefully, they would give up their chase on her and focus their efforts on restoring Konoha. The decision to save Kakashi's life had been one that she had made quickly, without a moment of hesitation. At least, if she was truly defying her village, the last thing she did as a Konoha Kunochi had been to save Kakashi. Her one last honorable act, she supposed, would have been for Konoha either way.

She would be a member of Akatsuki, but that didn't mean she would let the members walk all over her; touch her all the time. Sakura's mind ignored the fact Deidara was currently holding her, and went to Pein's earlier actions.

Why had Pein kissed her? He had seemed angry about her talking with Tobi, when she didn't even have a choice in the matter. She didn't trust the orange masked Tobi, but she didn't trust the orange haired leader either.

In fact, the only person she trusted at this moment was Deidara, and that was because she had to. She and Deidara were still riding on his large clay bird through the sky; his large hands held Sakura's waist tightly, ensuring that she wouldn't fall.

If this had been any other time, and with almost any other person, Sakura would have called this peaceful. The air was calming; the view was beautiful. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the blonde behind her, and was instantly reminded of Naruto. Deidara had the same hair color, the same blue eyes; they were similar in appearance.

These people, these Akatsuki, could she try to replace her special people with these people? Could she replace her honorable Konoha ninja with these honor-less Akatsuki ones? She could try, and that could make this experience more tolerable.

Now that she thought about it, in an abstract sort of way, she could replace Naruto with Deidara, Sasuke with Itachi, and Kakashi with Kisame… well maybe, but that was a stretch. And also, who would she use Pein or Sasori to replace?

The Akatsuki members were human, right? If anyone could find something good about these members, it would have to be Sakura. She could try it, try to befriend them, but as she started to talk to Deidara she couldn't help but feel like she was betraying her home.

"We're leaving for Iwa?" Her sudden question seemed to surprise the blonde. Deidara almost flinched, but Sakura felt him nod.

"We have hideouts in all of the shinobi nations," Deidara said with another head nod. So she wasn't going to get a lot out of him? She really couldn't blame him; she had punched him when they were back in the hideout, but then he couldn't really blame her. Sakura had punched Deidara on instinct.

"I'm not going to apologize for punching you," Sakura said. "But if you're still injured I can heal it."

Deidara's eyebrow rose slightly, but he nodded. Letting go of Sakura's waist, Sakura turned around slowly and looked the blonde up and down.

He really did look like a matured Naruto, Sakura thought as she brought healing chakra to her hands. Deidara's long hair made him look slightly more feminine, but Sakura could see the muscles that this man had.

If Sakura had a type, Deidara probably wasn't it. He seemed like he could be a nice guy, if he wasn't holding a grudge over you, but like Naruto, he seemed the friend type. Not that she was actually thinking of getting with any of these men…

Sakura's emerald lit hands slowly moved to Deidara's stomach and rested there. Moving more healing chakra through his stomach, Sakura smirked at seeing Deidara's calm and serene demeanor. Sakura had once read in a book that healing chakra could be a very calming experience.

Moving her chakra throughout his body, Sakura healed the small scrapes that were probably caused from Sai's inked animals.

"These were from Sai's art, correct?" Sakura asked as her hands began to recede and their light diminished. She had healed him enough to where he would not be in pain, but would still have the marks that Sai had caused.

Deidara snorted at Sakura's question and shook his head to the side. "That little boy was no artist; I respect Sasori's art more than I do that kid's."

"And what makes your art different from his, or Sasori's?" Sakura found herself asking. If she was going to live with these men, she might as well try to get to know them.

"My art is all about being beautiful for an instant; beauty if fleeting," Deidara said with a wistful sigh. "Art is a bang, you know? Sasori believes beauty should be eternal, everlasting. That brat back at the hideout said he didn't have an opinion on it. He said art was art."

Sakura slightly raised her eyebrow; art must have been a touchy subject then. Taking an intake of breath, Sakura looked at the scenery as she rode on the clay bird. Art wasn't something she really thought about while being a ninja; ninja either kill or heal. She really hadn't thought about her opinion on the matter, either, so she just left it at that.

"When will we get to the hideout in Iwa?" Sakura asked trying to change the subject.

"What is your opinion on art?" Deidara asked as he ignored her question. Sighing, Sakura thought about it for a minute before speaking.

"There are things in the world I find beautiful," Sakura said as her eyes danced to the scenery around them. "This scenery is beautiful, but I also find many other things beautiful. I guess being a ninja in itself is beautiful. The process of saving a person, is beautiful, but I guess a person's death could be beautiful, too, couldn't it?"

Deidara didn't say anything for a moment, that meant Sakura must have said something that caught him off guard. After a few moments he spoke again.

"I have never thought about it that way," Deidara said as Sakura watched his eyes look to the growing rocks and hills around them. "We should arrive at the hideout very shortly; we will be the first ones to arrive. I know Iwa the best because I am the only member of Akatsuki from Iwa."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his openness; would the rest of the Akatsuki be this open with her now that she agreed to join their ranks? She decided to test how open he would be with her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in Akatsuki?" Sakura asked as her eyes drifted to the mountains below; they were defiantly in Iwa now. She wondered how long 'shortly' meant to Deidara.

"I was being stupid," Deidara said as he sighed. Glancing ahead of him, he smirked when he saw the hideout in the distance. "Pein and I came up with an agreement; if I could beat Itachi I wouldn't have to join the organization. I didn't beat Itachi."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, but nodded slightly. "So you are here because you are honor bound as well," Sakura said with a small voice. "Now that surprises me; Akatsuki being honorable."

"You'd be even more surprised, Kunochi," Deidara said as his bird slowly began lowering. "Most of us are."

Sakura ignored the comment for now; she would think on it later. Honor and Akatsuki were not two things Sakura would have thought to put together. Looking to the ground ahead, Sakura saw a large cave-like building; this had to be their hideout.

Sakura closed her eyes as the bird descended to the ground; flying had been one thing, she was sure descending would be another. As she felt the birds feet land on the ground gracefully, Sakura idly wondered when the rest of the Akatsuki would be arriving.

"When will the others get here?" Sakura asked as she opened her eyes and hopped off the bird. Waiting for Deidara, she watched in a weird sort of fascination as his bird flew into the air. Sending it a few miles away, Sakura watched as Deidara grinned and muttered a small "katsu."

Sakura could only describe the mixes of red, orange, and yellow in the sky as being beautiful. Sakura guessed, as long as no one got hurt, she could respect Deidara's art.

"That was to let them know we had arrived safely," Deidara said with a nod towards the explosion; his grin was still plastered to his face. "We should be here for a few hours alone, though."

Nodding her head, Sakura started to walk towards the door. Sakura was tired, and she needed to rest. Waiting at the front door for Deidara, Sakura's shoulders slumped slightly.

It was now that she realized how exhausted she was. She had brought to life three people in a matter of three days, and also healed what would have been life threatening injuries. She had been with the Akatsuki for the last week, and it seemed every single ounce of energy had left her body.

"So this is what my life in Akatsuki is going to be then," Sakura muttered under her breath as Deidara opened the door for her.

XxxX

Pein smirked as he looked to the unconscious Konoha shinobi that lay before him. He and his men had not killed any of them, but the ninja would not be able to follow after the Akatsuki for some time; Pein had made sure of that.

Turning away from the Konoha shinobi, Pein looked to his own troops. Itachi had a minor scratch or two; Kisame looked much like his partner. Pein's eyes wandered to Sasori, and he looked the worse off out of everyone.

"Kisame, take Sasori to the hideout and have Sakura heal his injuries." Pein ordered while watching the red head slump to one knee. Kisame nodded, grabbed Sasori, and started sprinting off. That left him alone with Itachi and Madara.

"We will take leave for Iwa then," Pein said with a nod towards the two Uchiha. Itachi nodded, but waited for Madara to take the first step.

"What is your purpose for having Sakura Haruno in the Akatsuki organization?" Itachi asked as his eyes did not leave Madara's form. Madara chuckled slightly and turned back to Itachi.

"She is interesting, is she not?" Madara asked with a slight eyebrow raise. Madara's mask had been crushed after Naruto's untimely rasengan. He had tried to follow Sakura, and had broken the mask along the way. "Does she resemble anyone you know, Itachi?"

"Her abilities make her resemble the fifth Hokage," Itachi spoke easily while his sharingan glared towards the older man.

"She does," Madara nodded. "But does she not resemble two dead females that were in both of your lives? She reminds me very much of Konan, as well as Mikoto Uchiha."

Itachi was before Madara in a flash; mangekyou sharingan whirling in his eye sockets. "Who are you to talk of my mother?" Itachi asked as he gripped the older Uchiha's shoulders tightly.

Madara's chuckle was dark as he disappeared from Itachi's grip. "Those three woman; they are woman I have felt some sort of affection for. It is funny she resembles all three, is it not?"

Two kunai were simultaneously thrown towards the tree Madara had been standing on. "Oh?" Madara asked with a raised eyebrow. He had appeared a few meters away from the other Akatsuki members. "I mean no harm; Mikoto and Konan were two kunochi I enjoyed being in the company of for many nights."

Two more kunai were launched at the elusive man, and only caused him to chuckle more. "To answer your question, Itachi, Sakura is someone I find very appealing. She will raise the remaining Akatsuki members while sharing the company of my bed."

Pein's hand clenched tightly, and before Madara could disappear, Pein was able to take hold of his heart for a moment. Squeezing it tightly, Pein's eyes glared holes in Madara's skull. "Akatsuki will no longer be under your control," Pein's words came out icily. "Sakura Haruno is a member of my organization Akatsuki; you will not be allowed any where near her."

Madara's eyes glared towards Pein. "You can't keep me away Pein," Madara chocked out while taking a few steps backwards. "You know I am stronger than you; all of you. I will not have you getting in the way of my plans."

"Nor I you," Pein said as he clenched his hand harder. Just as he did though, Madara disappeared from view. Pein's eyes looked to Itachi and he seemed to sense a sort of pain coming from the Uchiha. "We should be getting back to the hideout."

Itachi nodded silently and followed Pein as they sprinted through the trees. It had taken Pein longer than he had wanted, but he would arrive in Iwa soon enough.

XxxX

Sakura had been awoken from her sleep on the couch as Kisame busted through the door. Emerald eyes widened as she noticed Sasori's bleeding gut; maybe he wasn't used to his regular body yet.

Standing up quickly, Sakura went into medic mode. She ordered Kisame to put Sasori on the coffee table and her hands immediately began glowing emerald green as he did so. Sakura placed her hands softly on Sasori's stomach, and closed her eyes.

This was a cut from Shikamaru's kunai; she could always tell the boys' weapons apart. Ignoring the slight tinge in her stomach as she continued to heal Sasori, Sakura quickly pushed all thoughts of her boys to the back of her mind.

After healing Sasori, Sakura was somewhat surprised to see the red head's eyes open, and him to start to stand. These men that she would now be living with were resilient, and they did not stay down for long.

Glancing to Kisame, Sakura saw the two bags he carried and did not have to guess what was inside them: Hidan and Zetsu. Sakura couldn't quite remember, but she thought that Pein had ordered her to resurrect Hidan next. Either way, it would have to wait until tomorrow; she was still tired and needed sleep.

She couldn't completely get the rest she wanted, however because Deidara had not known which room she would be staying in. That was why she had been resting on the couch; no matter how strange the interaction would be, Sakura was waiting for Pein to tell her where her room would be.

Sakura watched as Sasori slowly rose to his feet. Giving her a slight head nod, he started to head towards the kitchen; that was where Deidara was.

Standing herself, Sakura walked over to Kisame. "Do you need help carrying those?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself. Conversing with Deidara had been kind of easy, actually, he had seemed to like her. Sakura wasn't so sure conversing and getting along with the rest of the Akatsuki would be as easy…

Kisame raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. "I was able to carry these two and Sasori," Kisame stated with a bit of pride. "I will set them up in the new medic room, and then get some lunch."

Sakura nodded while she watched Kisame escape down the hallway; she really had to be crazy. Sakura walked to the kitchen to try and find something to drink. She noticed Sasori and Deidara eating at the table, before she walked to the fridge and grabbed some iced tea.

"Are you fully accepting your place in the organization, Sakura?" Sasori asked while eating some rice. Sakura sighed before walking to the table. Sitting down across from the pair, Sakura nodded.

"I am honor bound," Sakura said after taking a sip of her drink. "Deidara told me many of you were as well…"

"Aa," Sasori nodded. "Many of us had respectable reasons for joining the Akatsuki."

"What were your reasons, Sasori?" Sakura found herself asking. Many of them did seem more open with her now that she was an official member; hopefully it would stay this way.

"I wanted to travel and find more worthy puppets," Sasori said without batting an eye. "Akatsuki provided me with the opportunity to do so."

When Sakura was younger, she would have probably found this a repulsive reason. Now that she was older, and knew Sasori, Sakura found that to be an important reason for someone in Sasori's profession. Even if she did not agree with Sasori's puppets, they were still his weapons as a shinobi. Sakura could have thought of worse reasons for joining the organization.

Kisame walked through the kitchen door then. Grabbing a plate of food, he sat down beside Sakura. Sakura raised an eyebrow as the blue skin man did not say anything, only ate.

"Will Itachi and Pein be arriving back soon?" Sakura asked.

"Them and Tobi said they would be right behind us," Kisame said between a few bites of food.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they arrived within the hour then," Sasori stated as he stood with an empty plate. Placing it in the sink, Sasori walked back to his spot at the table.

After hearing Tobi's name, a cold shiver was sent down Sakura's spine. She really did not like the man; she didn't know him, but she could tell he wasn't who everyone thought he was. Time to try prying a little more.

"Who is Tobi?" Sakura asked. "I've met him before, but I don't know his story."

Kisame looked thoughtful for a second before shoving another bite of food into his mouth. "Neither do we, actually."

"He's annoying," Deidara huffed and sent a small glare towards Sasori. "He acts like a child all the time."

"Why are you so curious, Sakura?" Sasori asked as he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I guess," Sakura said trying to find the right words. "I just don't trust him; not that I trust you all completely, because I don't. I just don't trust him at all."

Sakura almost cringed as she finished speaking; why was she saying so much? She had just committed to completely being in Akatsuki, and now it seemed like she was telling them everything that came to mind; she was being stupid.

"Never mind," Sakura said quickly as she rose from her spot. Putting her cup in the sink, Sakura walked out the couch to try and nap again.

Back in the kitchen, Kisame raised an eyebrow. "You know, Deidara," Kisame said while putting his chop sticks down. "She is kind of right."

Deidara nodded slightly before turning towards the kitchen door. Deidara would think about what she had said, and yes Tobi seemed to be hiding something. But could the stupid mask-wearing ninja really be anything more than child stuck in a man's body; Deidara wasn't so sure.


	11. Chapter 11

Update? Oh yes, I think so. I can't believe you guys reviewed as much as you did; I certainly was surprised to get like 17 reviews in a little over a day. Here's the next chapter; I hope you all enjoy it!

And the Itachi's mom thing… just try to remember it in later chapters; it's actually important, maybe : ).

Oh, and a reviewer asked me about my Pein character. There will be only one Pein, the one that is in this story already, and in my story there is no Nagato. Sorry if you like him; he just didn't really fit with my story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Sakura did not have to wait on the couch for much longer, Pein and Itachi came within a few minutes of her deciding to lay down. It felt awkward when Itachi and Pein both entered the hideout and looked at her.

Their eyes seemed to be glued on Sakura as she stood from the couch and walked over to the pair. Sakura felt a bit uneasy, but all she wanted to do was sleep now; tomorrow she was pretty sure she'd be healing Hidan.

Standing in front of the two could not have been more intimidating, but Sakura found slight comfort in their eyes. Was it her, or did they soften just slightly when they were looking at her?

Itachi and Pein; they both seemed to be the Akatsuki's coldest members, but Sakura wondered if her earlier assumptions were wrong. Sakura's emerald eyes darted to both Itachi and Pein before she shook her head lightly. She really shouldn't have been thinking about things like this before she went to bed; she was too tired to do that.

"I was wondering where my room would be," Sakura said while standing in front of the two. It seemed like her voice broke the spell that was over the two males. Itachi looked away, and did not look back at her before he started down the hallway. Seeing that was a sign to follow, Sakura started, but stopped when she heard Pein speak.

"I'll take you," Pein said as he moved closer to the pinkette. Sakura's eyes widened slightly when Pein's hand held onto her upper arm. He didn't squeeze roughly like Sakura would have thought, the orange haired man surprised her as he held onto her arm somewhat gently. Did he really know what gentle was?

Looking down the hallway after Itachi, Sakura noticed how the Uchiha's shoulders were stiffer than usual. What had made these two members not return sooner? And where was the orange masked Tobi? Sakura did not feel safe not knowing where the man was.

"Did something happen, Pein?" Sakura found herself asking as they continued to walk down the hallway. Sakura noticed that Itachi disappeared behind a door some point in front of them; now it was just her and Pein in the hallway.

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with," Pein said while guiding her down another hallway. Sakura raised an eyebrow, and shook her head lightly.

"I am Akatsuki now Pein," Sakura said as she continued to follow him. "If there is something that effects the other Akatsuki members, then it effects mine as well."

Sakura watched as Pein sighed lightly, but turned towards her. Sakura found herself shoved against the wall rather quickly; her eyes darted up to look into Pein's. Pein's hands moved from the muscle on Sakura's arm to both her wrists. Sakura's eyes widened at the position they were in; it was suggestive, and if someone saw them they would probably think Pein and Sakura were closer than they were. Sakura's mind immediately went to the kiss that they shared this morning; what was this man doing?

"You are Akatsuki," Pein muttered as his face seemed so close; too close. She could feel his breath on her face, the hot wind coming in slight pants. Sakura couldn't help the slight chill that went down her spine. This man kept getting closer, and Sakura could do nothing to stop him.

Pein's face seemed to get even closer; his mouth hovered just above her own until he took a step backward. "I will tell everyone in the meeting we will be having tomorrow. After said meeting I will expect you to heal Hidan."

"Hai," Sakura said with a nod. She took in a deep breath as the distance between her and Pein got a little wider. Shaking slightly, Sakura moved away from the wall and continued to follow Pein down the hallway.

The silence took over as the two kept walking. Why did the silence seem awkward, Sakura asked herself. The man before her had all but kissed her again, but the silence between the two didn't seem right.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked as she walked faster to catch up to the man. Pein stopped in front of her, but shook his head.

"Do not worry yourself, kunochi," Pein said as he continued to walk. Sakura frowned, but continued to follow her new leader. Pein seemed to be the secretive type; at least for as long as she had known him. Sakura figured that Pein would maybe be more open with her later; maybe that was wishful thinking.

Sakura stopped walking when the two of them reached the end of the hallway. Sakura raised an eyebrow as Pein opened the door at the end of the corridor. Walking toward the door, Sakura stopped when she felt Pein's breath on the back of her neck.

"Is this to be my room, Pein?" Sakura asked while looking over her shoulder at him. Sakura couldn't catch his eye, but waited for Pein's answer.

"This is to be the room we share," Pein said as he followed her into the room. Sakura turned around quickly.

"What?" Sakura asked eyes slightly wide; did he really say what she thought he did?

"We will discuss it more tomorrow, but things are not safe; not even here." Pein said. His white ringed eyes looked concerned for a moment, but then they were indifferent again. "You are not allowed to walk around alone, even when you are within the hideout. This is not because I do not trust you; it is because I wish to keep you safe."

With that said, Pein left the room, but his presence wasn't gone entirely. Sakura could still feel his chakra behind the door. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura walked to the bed. She would think on this in the morning; right now she needed sleep.

XxxX

He brushed her short pink hair out of her face and sighed slightly. She was still beautiful. The moment she had burst through the cave, Sasori admitted it to only himself, her beautiful was unmatched. She had killed him, and yet she had brought him back to life; such deadly power was something so amazingly lovely, Sasori had no words for it.

He didn't not want her in that sense; certainly not. He just wanted to watch her, caress her hair once in a while, maybe even hold her from time to time. He was not stupid enough to believe she was something that could be his any how; it was obvious Pein had some sort of feeling towards her. Sasori wondered if the feelings Pein were experiencing were for Pein's ex-blue haired lover, or it was actual raw feeling for Sakura.

Sighing slightly again, Sasori gave Sakura's shoulder a slight shove. Sakura's emerald eyes opened immediately, and like any good shinobi, she was aware of everything the moment she had awakened. Her emerald eyes glanced up to Sasori, obviously waiting for an explanation; Sasori was not one to keep her waiting.

"Pein is requesting everyone's presence in the meeting room," Sasori said with a nod. "I was sent to escort you there."

Sakura did not say anything, but she stood and walked to the closet. Sasori's eyes did not leave her figure, and he began to list off the things that were different about this woman that stood before him.

Though her hair was still short, it seemed to have gotten slightly lighter; the pink was no longer a cherry blossom pink, but more of a tea rose pink. Her eye color had changed; her eyes a darker emerald than he remembered. Her body had also grown, both in muscle and in height. When they had battled years earlier, Sasori had remembered her being a good six inches shorter than he was; now Sakura stood only an inch shorter than the puppeteer. Her muscles had also become more defined, and her skin was more tan than he had remembered it being.

All in all, Sasori could coordinate all the changes in Sakura to her being an accomplished shinobi. Nodding his head in approval, Sasori watched as Sakura moved the bathroom to change.

It was different, Sakura mused to herself as she changed into her black bindings, Akatsuki cloak and spandex shorts. It was very different to be woken up by an enemy turned ally. It seemed to Sakura that most of the Akatsuki seemed to accept her in much the way she had accepted them.

Zipping up her cloak, Sakura walked out of the bathroom and glanced towards Sasori. The red head waited for her next to the door; she wondered idly what the red haired man thought about her. She had killed him, and she had also brought him back to life; did he resent her for her ability to do so?

Following Sasori down the hallway, Sakura tried to think about what this meeting would be about. It was obvious that Tobi was not here, but was that the reason Sakura was being placed under house arrest?

It would make sense; it appeared Pein did not like Tobi. From the moment Tobi had made his presence known to her, Pein seemed to resent it. Was he simply protecting her because she was a member of Akatsuki or what?

Following behind Sasori silently, Sakura tried not to think about it anymore; Pein would be talking to them about it soon enough. It was better to think about more pleasant things for the time being.

She would heal Hidan very soon, though Sakura was still a little surprised that the man had died in the first place. Sakura had heard rumors that Hidan was an immortal, yet Shikamaru had been able to defeat and kill him.

Sighing slightly to herself, Sakura looked up curiously when Sasori stopped a few feet in front of her. Opening the door that stood before the pair, Sasori allowed Sakura to walk in first before following.

The room was large, and Sakura smirked slightly because it was also red; a red that matched the clouds on her cloak to a T. Taking a few steps into the room, Sakura watched as the members before her took their respected places. Taking a step forward, Sakura watched Pein nod to the empty seat beside him. Taking that as her cue to sit down, Sakura walked to the spot and sat down quietly.

"Now that we are all here, I have something for us to discuss," Pein said while standing tall beside his chair. "The Akatsuki member known as Tobi is no longer welcome here."

Sakura sat quietly as an uproar from Deidara could be heard. This is what she had thought, but what had happened to make Pein so upset to even consider throwing out one of his members? Sakura could see that the leader of the Akatsuki was a loyal man, and treated his members with respect.

"Sakura said she didn't trust the bastard!" Deidara's voice rumbled to her right. The blonde pounced to his feet and slammed his fists on the table. "I guess she was right. What the hell did he do to-"

"Deidara," Pein's voice rang over the blonde's rant. Deidara sighed, but sat back down in his chair, quieting down as he did so. "I know this may come as a surprise to some people, but Tobi was actually a man known as Madara Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes closed as her mind began to spin with this new information. Sakura knew the man Tobi was not as innocent as he appeared. In fact, Sakura had even heard about this Madara Uchiha Pein spoke of.

Konoha was founded by two people: Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, as well as Madara Uchiha. It was said that before becoming the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama and Madara battled to the death in the Valley of the End.

"It was believed that Madara Uchiha was killed in the battle against the Shodai Hokage," Pein spoke freely as he stood before the elite group of ninja. "After the Uchiha massacre, however, Madara made his presence known to both me and Itachi. He was the one to introduce me to the nine tailed beasts. His knowledge and power is incredibly dangerous."

"Why am I in the most danger?" Sakura asked as Pein sat down in his chair; of course he sat at the head of the table, Sakura to his right, Itachi to his left. Sakura knew Pein had not said she was in the most danger, but she knew she was. Why else would Pein want someone with her every second of the day?

"It seemed Madara had plans for you all along, Sakura," Pein said quietly. The males around the table glanced towards the pink haired girl, and the woman's eyes widened.

"…What were his plans?" Sakura asked as she took in a breath. Sakura didn't know what to think; she thought the only reason she had been brought to the Akatsuki was to resurrect their dead. What would this maniac have wanted with her?

"It seems he wanted you to stay in his company," Pein spoke as his eyes glared forward; the ringed eyes were no longer looking at her own. Even with as polite as Pein was trying to be, Sakura knew what the implication of his sentence was. Madara wanted her; in more ways than one.

"Are you serious?" Kisame asked aloud. Sakura's eyes wandered across the room, and all the males besides Pein and Itachi seemed surprised, and perhaps angry.

"I don't really know what to say," Sakura said with a head nod towards the men before her. "I had no idea of his intentions, but now that I do I would have never agreed to them."

Pein seemed to pick his head up at what she said. Sakura glanced over to Pein, and nodded her head for him to continue.

"We would not let anything happen to any of our members," Pein said quickly while he stood again. Glancing down, Pein pulled something from his cloak, and looked to the woman beside him. "Because of this, we will ensure your safety."

Pein held a white ring out towards her; Sakura's eyes widened slightly, but she seemed to get over her shock quickly. Members of the Akatsuki were to wear rings on a specific finger. The kanji on the ring's white jewel said 'Byaku' or also meaning white.

"You will place this ring on your right middle finger," Pein said while handing Sakura the ring. Sakura took the ring from Pein's hand, and brought it closely to her face. The ring was obvious made for a woman, and the only woman that had been known to be in Akatsuki was a woman named Konan; one that had died in Konoha.

Placing her ring on her right middle finger, Sakura's eyes widened as the ring shrank down to fit her finger perfectly. Immediately a purple tint began to be shown on her fingers; it was a color that matched the rest of the Akatsuki's nails.

"Sakura Haruno you are now officially a member of Akatsuki," Pein said as his eyes seemed to linger on the ring she was now wearing. "This meeting is over; we will discuss more once Hidan and Zetsu."

Nodding, the men around her began to disappear; the only remaining members were Pein and Sasori. "Sasori accompany Sakura while she resurrects Hidan."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Sasori stated with a head nod.

"Thank you for being honest," Sakura said while turning to Pein. The orange haired man raised an eyebrow, but Sakura only smiled and followed Sasori out of the room. Pein couldn't help but think that Sakura should smile more often.

XxxX

Sakura was led to a room that very much resembled the 'medic' room in their previous hideout. The lights were bright, the room smelled sterile, but the most important thing for Sakura was the fact that only two more bodies lay before her; when she had started she had five to heal.

Sakura walked towards the cot that held Hidan. His body was scattered in pieces, and even though Sakura was sure Kisame had tried to find them all, Sakura knew she would have to create some new body parts for Hidan. It was obvious that he was missing his right bit toe; maybe even a few fingers on his left hand.

Standing before the corpse, Sakura glanced over her should at Sasori; it seemed Pein wanted everyone to see the jutsu she could perform. Was he trying to have her show her powers to everyone; show that she was strong enough to be in Akatsuki.

Sakura shook her head slightly and began to get to work. Closing her eyes, she quickly went through the process of the resurrection jutsu. Opening her eyes, her hands glowed the familiar pink and she quickly began healing Hidan from head to toe; literally.

Hidan's head had been cut off; blood still littered the wound, but Sakura ignored it. She had seen so much blood in her twenty years of life; it really didn't make a difference anymore.

After healing the neck wound, Sakura quickly moved down, and went after his arms that had also been cut off. Shikamaru had clearly wanted no one to be able to heal this man; too bad that wouldn't stop her.

It only took Sakura a few minutes to reconnect the tissues and veins from Hidan's arm to his shoulder. After switching arms, Sakura began to re-infuse his fingers with his body. Each finger was more work than his actual arms had been; the tissues and bones of the finger were far more delicate than the ones around his shoulders.

Eyes still closed, Sakura slowly began to create new fingers for Hidan's missing ones. After finishing, Sakura moved down to Hidan's thighs and reconnected his calves by creating new knee caps. Moving even further down, Sakura healed Hidan's toes and then sighed.

Now that the hard part was done, Sakura quickly moved back up to Hidan's chest. Pressing both hands onto Hidan's chest, Sakura sent pulses of chakra through his body. After his heart began pumping blood through his body, Sakura's eyes opened and she started to retract her chakra. Placing the remaining chakra in the small diamond mark on her forehead, Sakura couldn't help but feel relieved and somewhat accomplished.

This had probably been her most difficult heal, but she was even more certain it had been her quickest. Taking a step back, Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see an intrigued Sasori.

"This was a forbidden jutsu from Konoha?" He stated more than asked. Stepping next to the woman, Sasori's eyes wandered over Hidan's body, checking Sakura's work. "There will be few scars. You have grown since we last met in battle."

Sakura smiled, but refrained from speaking as she watched the white haired Hidan's eyes open. The man glared in front of him. "What the fuck took you so long?"


	12. Chapter 12

Hello friends, readers, and reviewers alike! I'm sorry I have not updated sooner; I went back to college last week, and so far it's been pretty hectic.

I hope you enjoy my next chapter; I wrote it especially for you guys : ) haha, but I think it'll be pretty good. I know the direction I want to go now, and for everyone's information it will be a more Pein Sakura fic, with a bit of one sided Madara Sakura, but you'll see more of that coming up in later chapters.

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Sakura couldn't help raising her eyebrow as she watched Hidan stand off of the table. She didn't know if she had met anyone quite like him before. She also didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

The man's pink eyes were on her, and Sakura couldn't help the slight shiver that coursed through her at this man's gaze. What did he want?

"Whose the hot skank, Sasori?" Hidan asked while his eyes were still glued on Sakura. Sakura looked to the red head, who just shook his head and left the room.

"Well, who are you, bitch?" Hidan asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura said as she glared at the silver haired male. As she watched Hidan, Sakura found herself wanting to punch the grin off Hidan's face.

"Soo," Hidan said with a sly smirk.

"No thanks," Sakura said as she shook her head before following Sasori out the door. Walking down the hall, Sakura took a breath before arriving at Pein's office. Well at least she thought it was his office, either way she could sense his chakra signature inside.

Knocking lightly on the door, Sakura entered the room without a word of acknowledgement. Sakura found her orange haired leader resting; wow… Raising an eyebrow, Sakura's eyes widened at the orange haired male. He was sitting in his desk chair, and though he still looked somewhat menacing, Sakura couldn't prevent the small smile that came to her features.

She had never seen Pein so relaxed; he looked so unPein-like that Sakura almost wanted to reach out and touch him. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura watched as Pein started to wake. Watching his eyes open, Sakura noticed they flashed a chocolate brown before going back to their usual ringed gray.

"I finished healing Hidan," Sakura found herself speaking a little more quietly than she usually would. After seeing Pein look so vulnerable, Sakura couldn't help speaking more gently to him. The self proclaimed God had looked so human-like.

"Good," Pein said with a slight head nod. Sakura watched as Pein shuffled some papers across his desk before sighing. "I am going to have to send you on a mission before you will be able to start healing Zetsu."

"A mission?" Sakura asked as her eye brow rose. She did not think she would be getting a mission so soon. Hadn't she just willingly joined the Akatsuki; why was she being trusted so soon?

"Yes," Pein nodded again. Sakura could tell the leader did not like the idea either; it was obvious he was still concerned about Madara and what that man was going to try and do. "I am going to be sending Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, and you to Suna. Your mission will be to heal Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori if they are to get injured."

"And their mission will be?" Sakura found herself asking. She understood his unwillingness to tell her things more than his openness, anyway. She understood that he could not be completely open with her, but did not understand why couldn't he at least try to explain things a little more to her.

"To obtain a few important scrolls Sasori left behind," Pein stated while his back stiffened slightly. Sakura sighed but nodded. As she was about to leave, Pein's voice stopped her.

He was behind her in an instant; his body ghosting over her own. His arms were barely touching her arms, but they were. His hands were so warm…

"I don't want you to go," Pein said quietly as Sakura's eyes were staring forward. What was she to do? She didn't know this man, she didn't know why he seemed to care for her in this way. "But I need you to protect my men."

He wanted her to protect his men? That was something Sakura found to be surprising; he must have trusted her more than she had realized. Turning around, Sakura's eyes were immediately drawn to the male before her. His presence screamed for attention.

Sakura was about to say something, but the look Pein was giving her prevented her from doing so. His gray ringed eyes stared deeply into her emerald ones. He said nothing more as his lips descended upon her own.

They were soft at first, but Sakura could feel the passion behind them. Quickly his lips began to trail across her own, a soft touch at both ends of her mouth, before his tongue began to trail over her soft pink lips.

Sakura was shocked; he was kissing her again, and she wasn't sure why. As she thought more and more about it, Sakura felt Pein's tongue disappear as his mouth still lingered over her own.

Sakura couldn't prevent her light gasp of air as Pein moved his mouth away from her own. She noticed his small smirk before he backed away from her.

He disappeared a moment later, and Sakura was left alone, holding her breath. Her heart began to beat faster, and her body suddenly felt cold without Pein's body pressed against her own.

Throughout all of this, Sakura couldn't help but wonder to herself: what was this man doing to her?

XxxX

Pein held his breath as he appeared into the room both he and Sakura shared. What was he doing?

Pein had promised himself Sakura would become his, but why was this effecting him so? A simple kiss should not be making his heart beat faster, it should not make him feel so warm when in her presence. Sakura was a possession; his possession. A possession was not meant to mean this much to him; damn it.

Shaking his head, Pein ignored the small butterflies in his stomach. Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori would keep her safe. He made sure that they would.

Walking over to the bathroom, Pein decided that he wouldn't see them off… He couldn't watch as Sakura left the base without his protection, but he needed to see if Madara would try and get Sakura…

This mission wasn't only for Sasori to get his scrolls. This mission was to see if Madara would try and take Sakura. Frowning to himself, Pein shook his head. He did not like this idea, but knew there was no other way. Sakura would be used as bait; Pein had made the decision himself.

Pein was fairly certain Madara would react to his challenge, and Pein would be waiting… the winner would get Sakura, and Pein was sure he would win.

XxxX

Sakura stood outside the Iwa hideout with Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori. Pein had ordered them to go on their mission, and get it done as quickly as possible. Getting to Suna and back again would take around a week if they were traveling full speed the whole time. Once they got to Suna, they would have to be very stealthy because of the increase in guards Suna was bound to have; that would take more time, Sakura guessed. Guess that's what Akatsuki gets for invading Konoha; a heavier boarder patrol.

The four Akatsuki members had discussed this before hand, and would stop a day before reaching Suna so they could put on their disguises. Sakura was slightly curio

us as to how Kisame was going to disguise himself, but she hoped it would be slightly amusing.

Looking back to the front door of the hideout, Sakura noticed the absence of their leader. She still did not understand her racing emotions towards their leader, and maybe having him not here was a good thing. Maybe leaving for a little while would allow her to understand this weird sensation in her stomach when she thought about the kisses he had given her.

Turning towards Itachi, she watched as the Uchiha nodded towards the rest of the group. "We will be stopping for rest when we need it," Itachi spoke. "This should go without saying, but everyone is to mask their chakra and keep pace with everyone. I will lead, Sakura and Sasori in the middle, and Kisame will take the rear."

The three males around her nodded, and Sakura sighed before bringing chakra to her legs. She assumed they would be moving nonstop, and that idea frightened her slightly. Sakura was stronger than she had been when she was younger, but she wasn't so sure she could completely keep pace with everyone.

Watching Itachi practically disappear in front of them, Sakura quickly began to move as Sasori disappeared. Appearing next to Sasori, Sakura smiled slightly to herself.

This mission would give her a lot of time to think; thinking is what she really needed to do right now. Looking down to her white ring, Sakura's thoughts wandered back to the blue haired Akatsuki member she had heard about when still in Konoha.

She knew that Pein and Konan were partners, though Konoha had heard rumors it was more than just partners. Spies had said they were something like lovers, others said they had more of a brother and sister relationship. Sakura tended to think the two had a sort of romantic relationship, herself, but then again-

Sakura shook her head slightly with a frown. Was she really thinking about her leader and his ex-lover? This wasn't something she should be thinking about on a mission. Switching the gears in her brain, Sakura started to think about Madara.

She remembered hearing stories about Madara Uchiha, but she didn't understand what he would want with her. Sure she had developed more while growing older, and she had matured as a ninja, but there was nothing really special about her. She didn't understand why a man like Madara Uchiha would want her.

Leaping over a small rock crater below her, Sakura frowned as the wind breezed through her hair. Pein had seemed to think that Madara would not give up his quest for her… that was why he had banished Madara from Akatsuki in the first place.

Sakura watched the Uchiha before her as her frown worsened. Was it her, or was Itachi ignoring her? Since he came back to the base yesterday, Sakura had realized Itachi had been more stoic and quiet than usual; well at least since she had known him. Was it just because Madara Uchiha had been kicked out of the Akatsuki? Sakura didn't think so.

Madara Uchiha must have said something to irritate Itachi, something that would go deep under the younger Uchiha's skin… Sakura was curious, but there was no way she would have asked the stoic man about it.

Looking up to the sky, Sakura was surprised as the sun appeared to be lowering below the mountains. Though the mountains could be beautiful, Sakura preferred tree running much more; the rock ground was harder than she was used to. She wasn't complaining, but she just wondered where the time had gotten to. If she was correct, the group had left the base a little over an hour ago. She had been thinking for an hour and hadn't really noticed it.

Frowning, Sakura began to concentrate on her surroundings; that's what a good shinobi did. Keeping her eyes ahead of her, Sakura used her peripheral vision to look around her. The rocky terrain that they had first started their journey in was slowly turning into grass; Sakura assumed they were almost in Ame.

Sensing the others around her, Sakura realized the other three seemed to be even more tense than usual. That's when Pein's words hit her: "I need you to protect my men."

Was this mission more dangerous than she realized? Sure they were going to be in Suna, and Sakura knew for certain that in Suna, there would be Konoha shinobi. That thought didn't worry her as much as it probably should have… She was Akatsuki now, she had accepted this.

If she were to encounter a shinobi she knew, Sakura knew she would not really be able to harm them. She understood that they were enemy shinobi now, and she would do everything in her power to stop them. That would include everything except physical harm, she hoped.

Trying to concentrate on her surroundings again, Sakura frowned when she sensed a sudden chakra surging through the trees… This chakra; Sakura shivered. She recognized this chakra.

Leaping a few feet back, Sakura watched as a long raven haired man appeared in her line of vision. The man was obviously an Uchiha, and if Sakura recognized his chakra correctly, this person was the one that had been masquerading as Tobi.

"Madara," Itachi glared forward as he stood a few feet in front of Sakura. Sakura couldn't help but take another step back as the elder Uchiha's eyes landed on her. The sharp crimson color of his eyes scared her; the color was more intense than both Sasuke's and Itachi's.

Sakura saw the feral smirk the dark haired man had plastered to his face; the crazed look on his face only frightened Sakura further. She frowned as both Kisame and Sasori stepped in front of her; this was not looking good.

"Itachi," Madara's smirk increased as his eyes still had not looked to anything else. "I am surprised Pein allowed her to leave the base so soon."

"He has faith that we'll protect her," Kisame's voice boomed back while Sakura noticed the glare on the blue man's features. It appeared that Madara's betrayal of the Akatsuki had caused the members to hate him.

"Hmm," Madara frowned slightly before turning his head to the side. "I am not yet prepared to take her."

"Why are you here?" Itachi's voice was indifferent, but Sakura believed Itachi was really not feeling indifferent towards this situation.

"Just wanted to make sure my prize was still as ravishing as I remembered," Madara said as he smirked again. In an instant he appeared before Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened as the dark haired man's lips launched towards her neck.

Sakura shivered as Madara mouth opened widely, and his tongue circled around a particular spot on her neck. Raising her arms in protest, Sakura pushed Madara away. The raven hair man disappeared as he was shoved backward. He reappeared a few feet in front of Itachi.

"I will be back for her," Madara stated. "Be prepared. I will not restart the Uchiha clan without her."

And with that said, Madara disappeared, but not before he sent another feral smirk towards Sakura. Frowning, Sakura glanced to the three man around her.

"What are we-"

"We will continue this mission," Itachi stated as he turned his back to the group. "The sooner we get to Suna the sooner we will be able to get home."

"But Itachi," Kisame's voice of reason spoke with a frown. "Sakura-"

"Leader wanted Sakura to accompany us on this mission, and that is what we are going to do," Itachi said with a stern voice. "This mission was to also see when Madara would launch his plan… it appears he is not yet ready to, so we will continue ours."

"Wait," Sakura's voice spoke up. "Pein knew?"

Itachi nodded and brought chakra to his legs. Looking back to the rest of the group he sighed, but Sasori was the one to speak.

"Pein informed us that meeting Madara on this mission had always been very possible," Sasori stated while walking next to Sakura. "This was a test to see when he would come to try and take you."

"Is this mission even real then?" Sakura asked as she glared ahead of her.

Sasori let out a breath while he looked to the pinkette. "I very much need my scrolls."

Sakura shook her head slightly, but started to move her feet. Soon enough, the four members were sprinting next to each other again. Sakura's mind started to race then, too.

If Pein knew Madara would come after her, why would he send her on this mission? Sakura frowned as she continued to think. It really didn't make any sense; Pein was a very intelligent person, and Sakura just didn't understand.

Did he believe that they would be able to prevent Madara from taking her? That could have been the reason she was sent with his men. Sakura would be able to heal the rest of the Akatsuki as well if they were to get hurt. Did Pein believe she could protect herself, or was she really needed for Sasori's scroll retrieval mission?

Her mind was racing, and Sakura couldn't decide what was the right question to ask, as well as what was the right answer to any of her questions.

Sighing, Sakura's pace increased. She would ask Pein when she returned from Suna. If she was just some kind of bait, there would be hell to pay. Sakura was done with the days of being the damsel in distress, damn it.

Her emerald eyes were fierce as she increased her pace even more. The sun had fallen below the tree line, and now it was getting dark. Sakura frowned as her sight began to worsen because of the darkness. This was her first Akatsuki mission, and she would not fail it.

Looking to the other Akatsuki members, she realized they would not be stopping to rest soon. Good, Sakura thought, even though she wasn't sure she knew what to say to Pein, Sakura needed to talk to him. She did not feel safe with Madara around.


	13. Chapter 13

How about some back story on Itachi and Madara, for this chapter? I'm sorry I haven't updated lately; school this semester has seriously taken over my social life, as well as my fan fiction life. Literally, it's kicking my ass, so forgive me?

And I know you guys have missed the Konoha shinobi, so there's going to be a POV on them too : )

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.**

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The rest of the trip to Suna went fairly well. The only incident involved a very hungry Kisame, and a very pissed off squirrel. Sakura couldn't help but lightly chuckle when she thought of the squirrel incident; who knew squirrels knew how to throw acorns?

Looking back onto camp, Sakura remembered why the group had stopped. Today would be their last day before reaching Suna. Everyone had come up with different disguises, and she was actually surprised by some of their looks.

Sakura's emerald eyes danced over her teammates and they couldn't help but land on Kisame. The man had only done a hedge to change his skin color; the minimal amount of chakra Kisame used to cause the hedge would be over looked, or most likely missed all together. Kisame's skin was now a light tan, and fit almost perfect with his body. Sakura had to admit, the once blue skinned man looked fairly attractive in his hedge. Sakura was half expecting Kisame to just throw a blanket over himself, and pretend to be a beggar; she was impressed.

Sakura's eyes glittered as she looked to her next companion; Sasori. The red head had used a kunai to cut his growing locks. The now shorter hair, suited him well, Sakura thought. Sakura's eyes wandered to her next companion, and Sakura couldn't help but look away.

Itachi had untied his hair, and let it fall well below his shoulders. With his hair down, Sakura would say he almost looked a little like Sasuke; they were brothers and all.

The three men she was with were all very attractive; it was hard to believe she hadn't thought about it more. But then again, her attraction to them kind of scared her; didn't she still have Pein to think about?

She definitely did; Pein's actions had been like a constant ring in her head throughout the whole mission. Now that the group was taking a break for a few hours, Sakura figured now would be as good of time as any to think about it.

Pein's advances were very real; Sakura assumed they would continue when she returned. Sakura was trying to figure out what to do about them. There were two ways she could go about things, but Sakura wasn't quite sure which way she wanted to go.

Did she want to be with someone? Sakura really didn't have an answer for that one; maybe she did, maybe she didn't. Could she be with a person like Pein? Maybe she could, maybe she couldn't, again she didn't know.

She really didn't know a lot about Pein; the man was like a box full of mysteries. She did not know how he became the leader of the Akatsuki, or even what he was really like. The only thing she really knew about Pein, was that he wanted to be with her, or at least wanted her; either way he was protective of her.

That was something she was used to at least; Sakura had been protected her whole life. It was something again that she wasn't sure she liked. Sure she liked being independent, and she was sure she would be able to protect herself if she needed to, but just the thought that someone else would try to protect her unconditionally; it was something that she did find appealing.

Sighing slightly, Sakura's mind drifted to Pein's appearance. The orange haired man was surely handsome; she even found his piercings to be attractive. The mysteriousness of Pein… she had been in love with Sasuke for a few years. Mysterious and dark were kind of Sakura's type.

Shaking her head from side to side, Sakura found herself staring into the sharingan eyes of Itachi Uchiha. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura realized the middle Uchiha appeared to be lost in his thoughts while looking at her.

XxxX

It was hard to burden the knowledge he had for as long as he had. Itachi wasn't complaining, but he did want people to understand his actions. He wanted to tell people that the Uchiha massacre was more complicated than people had originally made it out to be; Madara was more involved than people had originally thought. He wanted to tell people that the massacre was actually a mission from the third Hokage. But telling people would not help anyone; Itachi had been the perfect villain in this situation, and because of his love for his brother, and Konoha, he accepted his fate.

Itachi had wanted to stay dead after his brother had killed him; Sasuke had deserved his hero's revenge. But, Itachi was glad for the second chance Sakura had given him; Madara deserved the same fate Itachi had already went through.

The Uchiha massacre was more complicated than even the Hokage had planned it to be. After somehow hearing of Itachi's mission, Madara Uchiha had made himself known to the younger Uchiha. He told Itachi that he had been watching the Uchiha clan for sometime, and had not trusted any of them. Itachi was wary of the older Uchiha, but decided to trust him with his mission; it was the one and only critical error Itachi had made in his life.

Madara had ended up killing one person he was not supposed to, and coming close to killing one more. Itachi had intended to leave his mother very much alive. He had intended to leave both his mother and Sasuke alive; he had not wanted to leave Sasuke alone.

It was only after Madara had killed his mother did he know the older male's intentions; he had wanted Itachi's eyes. Madara had been set on killing all in Itachi's family, and then taking Itachi's eyes to become stronger. As Madara put Sasuke in a genjutsu, Itachi attacked the elder male.

In the end, Madara left for the Akatsuki, and Itachi followed him. Itachi felt that both he and Madara deserved to be killed, and Sasuke was the one that truly deserved that honor. Itachi had died by Sasuke's hand, and even though Itachi had wanted to stay alive a little longer to help his brother defeat Madara, Itachi was ready to die again.

Now seeing how strong Madara was, Itachi was glad he had been resurrected. Sasuke needed help still, and even though Itachi was faithful to Akatsuki, Itachi would help Sasuke kill the eldest Uchiha. Itachi would be even content with being killed by Sasuke again.

Taking a deep breath, Itachi's eyes bore into the pinkette in front of him. Even if they were only small similarities, they were still there; that was probably why his younger brother felt so attached to her. Sakura had indeed remind him of his mother; she could be gentle, but was still strong.

Itachi had loved his mother; she was in no way involved with the Uchiha Clan's plan to take over Konoha; she loved Konoha just as much as he himself had. Itachi's eyes continued to stare at Sakura as his mind continued to roll.

He would protect this woman this time; he held no romantic feelings for her, though she was very beautiful. Another thing he could add onto the similarity list between Sakura and his mother. Damn Madara… Itachi promised himself things would end differently this time; Madara Uchiha would be dead, and Itachi planned to have a hand in the older man's destruction.

XxxX

Sakura sighed as she looked at the long, hedged hair. Sakura had decided her pink hair would easily be recognizable; that she couldn't dare risk being caught in Suna. It was hard enough going through with this agreement; if she saw any of her old Konoha friends, Sakura really didn't know what she'd do. She knew what she had to do; Sakura had promised herself she'd be an Akatsuki member. No matter what, she would do everything in her power to help both Akatsuki and Konoha. She guessed Akatsuki would be her first priority, though.

Looking to her hair again, Sakura smiled at the red color; she and Sasori could have been mistaken for twins; a key point Itachi would use later in their mission. Sighing, Sakura decided to break the silence. "Are we ready to go?" Sakura asked while looking to her companions. The group had been resting for well over an hour. This was the longest they had rested in a while; Sakura was almost fully recharged and ready to go.

Hearing a snort, Sakura's eyes glared over to Kisame, but Itachi was the first one to respond. "We will be leaving shortly Sakura," Itachi stated as he stood from his spot. Glancing to the people around him, Itachi nodded. "We will first need to change into civilian clothes, and then we shall go."

Sakura sighed but walked a few yards behind her where she could find some cover behind the trees. Taking a simple green shirt, black spandex shorts, and a long black skirt, Sakura threw those on before also throwing on a light brown cloak.

When Sakura was finished changing, she started to walk back towards the group, but then stopped. Frowning, Sakura looked to her Akatsuki ring as she felt a sudden pulse. Hearing Kisame call her back to the group, Sakura noticed all their rings were glowing.

"What is it Leader-sama?" Itachi asked as the group turned to a shadowy figure in front of them. Sakura was well aware this was a hologram of their leader.

Sakura finished walking to the campsite and looked towards the crackling gray figure. Almost as if he felt her presence, because he probably did, Pein turned toward her; his ringed eyes flashing over her appearance before turning back towards Itachi.

"I heard rumors on Madara's location," Pein stated as he looked to the others in the group. Sakura frowned slightly.

"We encounter Madara a few days ago," Itachi stated as his eyes flickered to Sakura. "He did not advance on our group; I fear he was just toying with us in someway."

Even though the hologram was a good one, Sakura still could not see Pein's facial expressions. And though he was usually unemotional, Sakura was almost positive the man was frowning right now.

"That is what I feared," Pein stated. "Deidara, myself, and Hidan will be meeting up with you after your mission in Suna. Expect us to intercept you on your way back to base."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Itachi stated as he bowed slightly.

"When you are finished with your task, we will start heading out," Pein said before looking around to every one in the group. Stopping as his eyes hit Sakura, Sakura could almost feel the male smirking at her before he faded out.

"We should get going," Itachi stated before grabbing his pack. Sakura frowned slightly, but grabbed her own as well.

Pein's visit had not helped her decision at all; the man was confusing. Wasn't he supposed to be an unemotional bastard? For all Sakura knew, maybe he could be. Maybe whatever Pein was doing to her was some sick, twisted game he thought was funny. Sighing, Sakura heaved her bag over her shoulder, and then started running with her group mates again.

Sakura had not thought about that before; the idea of him just messing with her. From what she had heard of the Akatsuki, Sakura knew it was a possibility. But the way Pein looked at her; even through his ringed eyes, she could see some kind of emotion there. But then again it could be fake emotion…

Sakura sighed dejectedly, she really did not know what to think; thinking about it made her even more confused. Looking ahead of her, her eyes drifted to the rest of the Akatsuki. Would they be able to tell if Pein was just messing with her? Raising an eyebrow, Sakura decided to ask one of her teammates later.

Increasing their speed, Sakura knew they'd be in Suna within a few hours. Maybe after they left Suna again she'd ask either Sasori or Itachi. The two seemed the most honest, and the most trustful out everyone in Akatsuki. That might not have been saying much, but Sakura really didn't have any other option.

Sighing, Sakura increased her speed again to keep up with the rest of the group. It seemed like Itachi wanted to get to Suna faster that they were scheduled to be; the group was actually a day or so early, already.

XxxX

Kakashi frowned as he woke up in the hospital. He recalled everything that happened a week ago, and he couldn't help but feel miserable. Sakura had given up her freedom to save his life; Kakashi hadn't deserved that.

Standing from his bed, Kakashi quickly went to put on his clothes. He hated being in hospitals, and right now, all he really wanted to do was be alone. Throwing on his clothes in a kind of haphazard manner, Kakashi left through the hospital window.

He could feel his friends chakra, but Kakashi really did not want to go back to the apartment complex the Kazekage had given them. He needed to get out of the village, at least for right now. He needed to think about a way to get Sakura back and a way to revive Konoha. He guessed reviving Konoha should have been more important, but he needed to repay Sakura for saving his life.

Sighing, Kakashi reached the Suna gate. Sitting on top of the gate, Kakashi looked out to the Suna desert before him. The sun had reached a little over midday, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed. Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi watched a group of four people walk slowly, but elegantly toward Suna's gate.

The group appeared to be civilian, but Kakashi was cautious; the group seemed to move far too gracefully to not be ninjas. Watching the group walk up to the ninjas on guard, Kakashi dropped from the wall to further investigate.

"State your business within Suna," one of the guards stated while glaring at the group in front of him.

A ninja with fierce red hair walked forward and answered. "We come from a small village a few days away from Suna. We come to trade with several merchants."

"Very well," the ninja stated. "Give me your papers."

Kakashi watched as the only female of the group stepped forward. She had long red hair, and a small frame. Kakashi's eyes narrowed; where did her recognize this woman's form from?

The woman handed over a few papers, and walked backward until she was standing next to the red head. The two could be siblings; fiery red hair was not very common.

"Things seem to be in order," the second guard stated. "But I can only allow two of you in at a time."

"We understand," the woman spoke, and Kakashi's back went rigid. His eyes danced over to the female again, and he couldn't help but feel his stomach clench.

"Thank you very much; my sister and myself would like to head for the market, while our friends will stay out here." The male red head stated as he nodded to the group behind him.

"Wait a minute," the first guard stated before the two siblings could leave. "I do not see what you are carrying; what do you wish to trade here?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and nodded. They had little to no baggage with them.

"My sister is a very adequate jewelry maker," the red haired male stated; Kakashi's eyes danced to the female red head as she grabbed a necklace out of her pouch. The guards on duty nodded their heads towards the two red heads and went back to their duty.

Kakashi's back was even more rigid than it had been; he could not even move. Watching the two red heads walk away, he felt his stomach clench again. And suddenly he moved to follow them… he had recognized that necklace and knew it was custom made for only one person. And that person was Sakura.

XxxX

Sakura couldn't help but smile as she walked away from the two guards on duty. This had been Itachi's plan; Sakura and Sasori were to infiltrate and obtain the scrolls Sasori had left behind. As Itachi had foreseen, only two members would be allowed in at a time. So naturally, as Sasori and Sakura both had the same hair color, and looked a quite a bit alike, they were the ones that were sent in.

Sakura felt Sasori's hand on her lower back as he guided her through the crowds. Sasori turned towards Sakura, his mouth a few inches away from her ear as he frowned. "I believe we have someone tailing us, Sakura. I can feel their chakra pattern, but I cannot tell who this person is."

Sakura frowned slightly, had they been caught already? She turned her head towards Sasori so she could whisper into his ear. "Should we split up? If this person has identified myself then he will be after me, and you can still get your scrolls."

Sasori's eyes flickered to Sakura, and he couldn't help but to frown. "Hmm," Sasori stated as his eyes looked forward. "I do not like this idea, but I see no other way to deal with this problem. Sakura, I will return to you in a few minutes; do not get yourself in trouble. Go forward with the plan."

Nodding, Sakura watched as Sasori walked away. Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes as she sensed for the chakra signature that had been following them. Finding it fairly easily, Sakura held her breath as she felt it continue to follow her… had she been found already? She had not been in the village more than a few minutes.

Frowning, Sakura headed towards the market to sell the jewelry the group had been able to collect before coming here; she would not be selling the necklace she had showed the guards before. The necklace was more important to her than that.

Turning down an alley, Sakura couldn't help but to smile slightly. This was a short cut to the market that very few knew about. She also could no longer feel the chakra signature behind her any more. Looking over her shoulder, she did not see anything. Her eyes glanced forward, and Sakura stopped herself before running into something hard.

"…Sakura." His voice didn't even question if it was her; he knew. He always knew.

_Kakashi._


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! I'm glad you liked chapter thirteen, so I tried to update as soon as I could; I've been switching between stories recently. Like I'd write a little for Real Life Konoha, then I'd write some for SaVe Me, then I'd add more to this story I haven't posted yet, and then some for Seven Deadly Sins… and I've done this all today. Hopefully I can keep writing and update some of these before the weekend is over; if not, I promise to try to do so by the end of next week. I know this is a big commitment, but I think you guys deserve it. : )

I Love you readers

Ohh, and this is to chococherryblossoms, I don't think I'm going to make this story a SakuXZetsu, sorry hun. I kind of already know where this story is going, and I'm going to keep heading there. Maybe when I'm done with some of my other stories I'll start on a Zetsu Sakura to keep you happy ( I actually made a summary for it today!)

And to everyone that updated; you seriously made me smile : ) thanks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Sakura could barely breath as she looked at the shinobi she had saved only a week ago. Blinking, Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry I don't know anyone of that name," Sakura stated as she tried to walk around him. How did he know it was her? She had masked her chakra, and was positive he could not tell from that…

"Sakura," Kakashi said as a small smile came upon his face. "I know it's you; you're the only one with that necklace."

Sakura froze again, and her emerald eyes looked up to Kakashi's for the first time. Sakura couldn't help but smile slightly at the man in front of her. "I'm glad you're alright, Kakashi."

"Sakura," Kakashi said while taking a step closer to her. His hands immediately wrapped themselves around the girl, and Kakashi sighed. "I didn't think I would see you again."

"This very well might be the last time," Sakura said with a frown as she hugged the older male back; Kakashi had always been like a father to her. "It's a very long story, but I think I might be in trouble."

Kakashi's face shone not only confusion, but concern as well. "We'll protect you from the Akatsuki," Kakashi said with conviction. To her, he sounded like Naruto just then; Naruto would always protect his most precious people. "Whatever it is, we'll protect you here."

"It's not that simple, Kakashi," Sakura said with a sad frown as she took a step backward. "There's a lot more to it then rescuing the damsel in distress. After what happened in Konoha, I really don't want you guys to have to deal with whatever's coming after me… but in the end you need to promise me to keep Sasuke out of this. He has a sharingan, and I think he might be targeted."

Kakashi was confused again. "What the hell is going on, Sakura?" Kakashi asked with a frown of his own.

"Nothing you have to worry about, hopefully," Sakura said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "If you'd believe it, I'm probably safer with Akatsuki than I would be here," Sakura said before taking a few more steps back. "Please just let me do my mission, and leave. I'll be alright, I promise."

"Sakura wai-"

And Sakura then disappeared in a puff of spoke. Kakashi stared in front of himself, before closing his eyes. Opening them again, Kakashi's eyes were once again fiercely determined. At least she's alive…

XxxX

Sakura reappeared several blocks away from where she had left Kakashi. Taking in a shaky breath, Sakura closed her eyes quickly. She wasn't sure if talking to Kakashi was easier, or harder than she had expected. At least he wouldn't worry about her any more; he knew she would be alive, and somewhat safe.

Opening her eyes, Sakura collected herself, and started to walk over to the market. Sasori was sure to be back within a few minutes, so she had to finish her end of the mission. Walking to the market, Sakura stripped all her confused emotions away from herself. She threw them in the deepest recess of her mind; she would not fail her mission. She calmly walked to the merchant she was supposed to talk to.

The merchant raised an eyebrow, but when Sakura flashed the jewelry, the merchant nodded. This was one of many snitches the Akatsuki had within the hidden villages. Eyeing the merchant up, Sakura shook her head with a smirk before laying most of the jewelry before him.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to make an exchange," Sakura said while looking at the brunette in front of her.

"Ah, yes," the merchant said with a slight smirk. His eyes trailed up her form, and Sakura felt incredibly violated. "I was wondering when the Akatsuki would get more recruits; I guess it was sooner than expected."

"Hai, I guess so," Sakura said as she watched everything the man was doing. Frowning, Sakura realized he was not really taking her seriously. This would not do, she would not get the information they needed if this man thought of her as some piece of steak.

Glaring, Sakura grabbed the merchant from across his table, and glared into his eyes. "Do not underestimate me, just because of that however. Give me what I need, and then I shall leave. If you do not give me what I want, I swear I will crush you."

The merchant's eyes widened, but he nodded his head. Sakura dropped the male, and glared at him until he moved. The merchant looked over both his shoulders and sighed. Grabbing a box, the man pulled out a scroll and handed it over to Sakura.

"What information does this contain?" Sakura asked as her voice turned cold; this man was infuriating.

"The whereabouts of Madara Uchiha's several hideouts," the merchant said while avoiding Sakura's eyes.

Without saying thank you, Sakura nodded and started to walk away. Closing her eyes again, Sakura sighed. She did not like to play the bad guy or intimidator, but in reality she was now. She had promised herself to the Akatsuki meaning that she would have to do pretty much anything they wanted.

It was hard though, and Sakura did not like to put her emotions on the back burner. Sakura was never that good at controlling her emotions; she figured she have to start now, though. Hardening up a little bit would probably help her more than she realized. She'd have to watch Itachi and Pein; the two men were easily the most frightening people she had ever met. Maybe she could get some kind of scarying lessons from them; oh how wonderful that would be.

Sakura almost snorted at the idea, but just shook her head instead. Walking to the Suna wall, Sakura could feel Sasori's chakra signature approaching her nonchalantly. Turning to him, Sasori nodded firmly, and Sakura smiled.

"Were you successful in getting the information?" Sasori asked while he began walking next to her. Sakura nodded and handed the scroll over to him.

"I know this might be a silly question, but what kind of scrolls did you need?" Sakura asked while the two reached the rest of the group. "I don't think I ever was told."

"They are scrolls in how to use a heart in another's body," Sasori stated while nodding to Itachi and Kisame. Itachi looked indifferent, but Kisame looked horribly bored.

"In essence," Itachi stated as the four started their journey away from Suna; he had obviously heard Sasori begin to explain this to her, and decided to finish. "Sasori's scroll will help us resurrect Kakuzu."

"I thought that hadn't been possible…" Sakura said as the group was out of range of Suna. Almost instantly the ones who had placed hedges on themselves, Kisame and Sakura, dropped them instantly. Running her hand through her shortened length, Sakura smiled. "I understand Kakuzu had more than one heart in his body, and that was why he was so hard to kill; will the scroll really help?"

"Well I'll have to reread the scroll first, before I know anything," Sasori stated while the group raced through the mounds of sand. "But I believe the scroll will help significantly."

"While you two were inside, Kisame and I informed Leader-sama we would be heading back shortly," Itachi stated while glancing back to his three other group mates.

"But does that mean I'll still be resurrecting Zetsu when we return, or will I be bringing back Kakuzu now?" Sakura asked as confusion began to overtake her again; why couldn't they just be up front with her in the beginning?

"No," Itachi stated while his speed increased again. "I am fairly certain that you will still be bringing Zetsu back."

"Okay," Sakura nodded. Her mind went back to the mission in Suna, and though she was happy that she had succeeded, she was worried about the fact she had been discovered so easily. And she kept questioning herself; should she tell her companions? Deciding that honesty was the best policy, Sakura knew she had to tell them.

"I think I was made inside of Suna," Sakura breathed out; she guessed it was a half truth, because she _had been_ made.

Itachi stopped instantly and turned himself around. Sakura's eyes widened, but she stopped herself just before running into Itachi. "By whom?"

"Kakashi Hatake," Sakura breathed out again; she was trying to watch Itachi for a reaction, but he did not give one; that was not surprising.

"When did he make you?" Itachi's voice was cold, but still calm; that was not surprising either. Itachi Uchiha was known for keeping his cool; Pein and Itachi were probably the most unemotional people she had ever met (she would definitely be getting lessons from them later).

"At the guard post," Sakura said while adverting her eyes from Itachi's; she knew not to look into the sharingan directly, even if Itachi was supposed to be her ally. "He recognized the necklace I had taken out to show the guards before we were able to enter Suna."

"What actions did he take when he realized it was you?" Itachi asked. Sakura felt weird; the whole group had stopped and was just looking at her now. She realized she probably should have told the group right away, but Sakura could sense that no one was following them; not yet anyway. Sakura had really just wanted to get away from Suna as quickly as possible; if Kakashi had recognized her so easily, Sakura shivered to think about what would have happened had she ran into Naruto.

"He stopped me after Sasori and I separated," Sakura said with a sigh. "He wanted me to stay with him in Suna, but I told him I couldn't. I told him that I was a member of the Akatsuki now, and staying in Suna was not a possibility."

"Very well," Itachi nodded his head; Sakura didn't know if it was from approval of how she held herself, or if he was done with her story, and ready to leave again.

Sakura didn't much care, but when the group started running again, Sakura sighed and followed. Even if she had wanted to go with Kakashi, which she kind of did, she knew she couldn't. She had vowed to be an Akatsuki member, and she really didn't want to put her Konoha friends in danger; Madara Uchiha would use and dispose of anyone she would appear to be close with. Sakura was sure of that.

XxxX

A few days later, Sakura couldn't help but smile when the group finally reached the forestry area of Iwa; anything was better than sand. Of course she would be running on stone, and looking at mountains soon, but the trees and grass made her think of her home.

Itachi stopped a few feet in front of the group, and looked behind him; the group had had little to no rest on the way back. It appeared Itachi wanted to get back to the others as soon as possible for some reason. "This is where we are supposed to meet the others," Itachi stated while dropping his pack. The group followed in taking their packs off as well, and Sakura found a tree to lean against. Closing her eyes for a second, Sakura took the moment to finally relax after so much running.

Opening them again, they widened at the man who stood before her; well kneeled before her. "Pein…" Sakura's voice was quiet. The orange haired male looked unemotional, but there was something in his eyes.

Before Sakura could get a good look at the leader's eyes, Pein's ringed eyes closed. An instant later they opened and flashed slight relief. Sakura watched as Pein's body seemed to relax; had her being away from him really worry him that much? That was strange…

Sakura just allowed Pein to raise a hand and brushed her cheek softly; now this was even stranger. She still was not used to being slammed against a wall and being kissed, but she really didn't know what to think of this soft caress Pein had just given to her.

Sakura stood slowly as Pein took a step back; he lowered his hand before turning around. Looking to the rest of the group, Pein's expression changed from mild-relief to emotionless in a little under a second.

"Reports?" Pein asked while looking toward Itachi. The raven haired male had picked up his pack, and stood beside Hidan and Deidara; how had Sakura not sense the other group members arrival earlier?

"The mission was a success," Itachi stated smoothly while his eyes darted towards Sakura's form. "Sasori was able to obtain his scrolls, as well as Sakura was able to obtain the information."

"Very well, I think-"

"There however was one snag," Itachi continued as if Pein had not just tried to speak. "Kakashi Hatake knew it was Sakura."

Pein did not say anything, nor did he look at Sakura. "That can't be helped; we will be leaving for another hideout shortly."

"But didn't we just get to Iwa?" Sakura asked out of slight confusion; hadn't they just arrived there?

"It is a matter that cannot be helped," Pein stated while still looking forward; Sakura took a few steps forward so she stood beside Pein. "We will start to head towards the hideout in Konoha; be prepared to leave within a few moments."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, but then sighed. She had no control over this, but Sakura wished that she didn't have to run for the next couple days. Sakura looked to the rest of the group, and they seemed perfectly fine. In fact, Hidan was carrying a bag of what Sakura believed was Zetsu.

"Once we get to the Konoha hideout I will send out a mission to obtain Kakuzu's body if Sasori's information pans out," Pein said while walking to the front of the group. Without another word from the mysterious leader, the group began running east.

Moving to Konoha was probably a smart move, Sakura thought to herself as she increased her speed. No one would believe that the Akatsuki would move to the place they had demolished two weeks earlier.

Sakura sighed. It had been two weeks since she had left her home, and now, it appeared she had a new one. The Akatsuki organization might be a group of killers, thugs, and bullies, but Sakura was one of them now. A home was a home, and Sakura could only embrace it. She really did not have a choice in the matter.

XxxX

Kakashi paced in the Kazekage's office. "She left at least two days ago," Naruto yelled at the red head. "Let us fucking go after her!"

Gaara sighed while rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers; the poor red head had been listening to the surviving members of team seven for the past two days and it was becoming tiresome. Gaara really could understand why they were so adamant about leaving though. Before saying anything, a woman's voice spoke up.

"Do you really think you can get her back?" Tsunade's voice spoke up from behind the frazzled group. "Last time you did not fair to well, and though I love Sakura, Kakashi seemed to say she was okay."

"No!" Naruto yelled as his eyes began to bleed red. "Kakashi said Sakura was safer with the Akatsuki; that's what she said! They must have put some mind power jutsu over her or something and-"

"Naruto," the youngest Uchiha spoke up from beside the blonde. "You sound ridiculous. Sakura told Kakashi she was in trouble, but was safer with the Akatsuki over ourselves."

"How the hell can you be so calm about this!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura is in trouble!"

"She doesn't want to get us hurt," Tsunade's voice stated from the back of the room. The ex-hokage was not the bubbling mess she had been two weeks earlier. "That much should be obvious, Naruto."

"Tsunade-sama is right," Gaara stated as he leaned back in his chair. "There is obviously a threat to Sakura-san's life and the threat is not Akatsuki. It appears the Akatsuki are protecting her from this threat.

"Naruto, I do not want to say this to you, but I do not have the resources to send you on another mission to try and get Sakura back. We are expecting an attack from the Akatsuki, as well as a new possible threat that Sakura has pointed out to us, very soon."

"I don't care what anyone says!" Naruto exclaimed as he raced towards the door. "I'm going to get her back myself then!"

Before anyone could stop him, Naruto raced out of the room in a flash of red; his Kyuubi was taking over him, and it seemed that he had lost control one again. The groups eyes widened, but before words could be exchanged Kakashi and Sasuke quickly raced after him; things would not bode well if Naruto was captured by the Akatsuki, or especially the mysterious threat Sakura had been scared of.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter isn't as long as the others; I need this chapter so I can start on the next one. And is everyone ready for a little SakuXPein hotness? Because I sure am, and that's why I added it to this chapter : )

Thanks for everyone who reviewed the previous chapters; I hope you review this one too.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Ohh, and were you guys missing Madara? hahhahahha

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It was the second night on their journey to Konoha, that she suddenly felt restless. Something was bothering her, and it wasn't the fact that Pein's eyes would stray over to her whenever they stopped. It wasn't the fact that Pein's hands would linger over her whenever they stopped. It actually didn't have to deal with Pein in general; she was becoming accustomed to his glances and caresses.

Somewhere deep down in Sakura's heart, she knew there was something wrong. It was a strange feeling Sakura would always get when she knew something was wrong with her teammates- ex teammates.

The group had stopped to take a rest before continuing their journey; they would not sleep out in the open. The idea that they would be attacked was stupid; practically every Akatsuki member was here on this mission. That was also the problem, however, they would also be easier to track, even if the idea of tracking the Akatsuki was almost laughable.

And even though Akatsuki had destroyed Konoha earlier in the month, Sakura knew Pein wanted to tread lightly for some reason or another. Pein's idea wasn't bad; they would arrive in the Leaf much faster than when they had first planned, but also, running at these fast of speeds didn't allow Sakura to dwell on much anything else.

So as the group started their short thirty minute rest, Sakura was finally allowed to think over the feeling in her heart and in her stomach. She knew Kakashi had told everyone; it was incredibly stupid to think that he would keep such information to himself. She was alive, and Sakura hoped that that information had been enough to stop Team Seven from coming to retrieve her; the fact that she was alive and safe. Sakura had guessed wrong.

She didn't know for certain that they were coming; she just had her feeling to go off of. And her feelings were usually right. It would be dumb to ignore it, but what was she supposed to do? Even though she was now a full fledged Akatsuki member, she pretty much knew that she would be treated as a prisoner until further notice. They would not leave her alone for more than ten minutes, unless they were in the immediate area; Sakura felt like it was the beginning of Team Seven all over again.

Sighing slightly, Sakura blinked her eyes carefully. Looking ahead of her, Pein was standing while staring intently at her. Sakura raised an eyebrow, before Pein nodded in to the direction of the forest. After a few seconds, he turned and followed the direction in which he nodded.

Taking this as a sign that Pein wanted her to follow him, she did. He was her leader, and no matter how confused he made her, she still had to obey him. Standing, Sakura quickly followed Pein into the forest.

After walking a good distance into the large patch of trees, Sakura paused before hard arms were wrapped around her body. Looking over her shoulder, Sakura saw the same ringed eyes she had been staring into only a few minutes ago.

Pein's mouth was directly over her ear, and his hot breath unconsciously made a shiver roll down her spine; was he really going to start this again, here of all places? The last time they had done this, they had been interrupted my the silent Uchiha; Sakura really did not want to have this be stopped by Itachi again.

"Pein…?" Sakura took in a shaky breath trying to will her body not to respond. She had gotten over the initial shock of him always appearing behind her; now that she was, however, her body was more inclined to enjoy what he did to her.

She was not used to male affection. The light touches on her arm, the hot breath against her ear, even the passionate kisses, they all made her shudder, but this was not in fright. Her body was always very aware of Pein's presence now, Sakura had realized this in the past two days. And her body got very excited and hot even, when he came near her. This was not looking well for her; she realized that soon enough she could become very addicted to the man behind her.

Sakura froze when she felt his mouth move from the shell of her ear to her throat. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura felt Pein's warm breath tickle her throat. A second later, Pein's lips were trailing open mouth kisses over her pulse.

How could a man that was supposed to be so cold, always feel so warm? It was a mystery to her, but Sakura couldn't stop herself as she leaned back, against his chest.

"There is something wrong," Pein stated as his mouth only moved an inch away from her neck. It seemed he would not continue his ministrations until she told him what he wanted to know.

It would have been stupid to lie to him; he could see through people so easily. He could see her through so easily, and in only a short amount of time too. But, that wasn't completely Sakura's fault; the man before her was so strong.

"I have a feeling," Sakura said with a frown; how was she supposed to explain the feelings she would get in her stomach?

"That your ex-team is trying to follow us?" Pein asked as he dipped his head low again. His warm lips traveled up her neck until they landed on his ear. Sakura could only give a slight nod as she leaned back against the overly warm male. "That is because they are."

Sakura stood slightly frozen, and ignored the wonderful attention her neck was getting via Pein's lips and skillful tongue. His tongue drew small circles on her throat before his mouth sucked harshly leaving light hickies on her neck.

It was hard to ignore it, but Sakura had other things to worry about other than Pein's skillful attention. So they were coming… the thought hit her, and Sakura wasn't sure what to think about it. They were team seven, her boys for Kami sake, of course they would come.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked as she took in a sharp breath of air; Pein had not stopped. But that question was the only thing that came to her mind at the moment; she was worried about her team. She didn't want them to get hurt, and she knew if they tried to take her again the Akatsuki would kill them. It was easy to understand, and Sakura hated herself for knowing the outcome of the fight before it even happened.

"We will continue to move," Pein said as his tongue caressed the shell of her ear. Sakura's knees buckled slightly at the intimate act, but she forced herself to listen. "They will not be able to follow; we have left no trail behind. I have made sure of that, Sakura."

Sighing slightly in relief, Sakura nodded and allowed herself to rest in Pein's arms. Since yesterday, she had allowed herself to enjoy Pein's touches. She knew the caresses and kisses would not stop any time soon, so she decided to enjoy the attention she was given. There had to be a reason Pein was giving her this attention, and Sakura had a feeling it had to do with more than just him messing with her; at least she hoped it did.

Turning around slightly in his arms, Sakura quickly found her back slammed against a tree. Pein's arms went to her hips and his mouth immediately moved towards hers.

His mouth attacked hers in a fiery passion, and Sakura almost melted. His hands moved from her hips and headed slowly up her chest; they ended their journey just below her breasts, and Sakura had to take in a deep breath of air as she felt a deep sensation growing within her stomach.

Pein took the opportunity to allow his tongue to push its way into her mouth; Sakura couldn't help the groan that passed her lips at the feel of him pressed tightly against her. His tongue proceeded to explore her whole mouth rather quickly, but he was able to greet every part of her mouth with his teasing tongue. His tongue started thrusting against her own tongue, until he allowed his tongue to caress her white teeth.

Sakura shivered and moved her hands to grasp Pein's orange hair tightly. Shyly, she gripped his hair and pulled him closer to her. She needed to give into him; he felt too good for her not to.

Allowing her tongue to tangle with his, she trailed one of her hands to travel down his head. Sliding over one of his ears, Sakura shivered at the contrasting coolness of the earrings Pein was wearing; it was a deep contrast to the warm skin she had been previously caressing.

Taking in a sharp breath, Sakura moved her head backward; their break would be ending soon. Emerald eyes looked up into ringed ones, and Sakura's breath hitched again. The predatory look in his eyes told her they were far from over; that this was the beginning of their heated game between each other, and it would not be ending anytime soon.

Taking a step away, Sakura watched as Pein's eyes scanned over her body before landing on her face. Pein turned away quickly and started to head back towards camp. Sakura took in another deep breath before feeling herself quiver. This was the most heated it had gotten between the two of them. She assumed- no she knew it would get even more heated when they would find the hideout in Konoha.

Fixing her clothes slightly before running a hand through her hair, Sakura started to walk back to the camp sight. It would be obvious the two of them had talked, and it would probably be obvious for most of the group of what had happened between the two of them.

It was obvious Pein was not hiding their… relationship from anyone. It was almost like he didn't care whether the team found out about the two of them or not; it was like he wanted them to find out.

Shaking her head slightly, she walked a little faster back to the group. It was eerily quiet once she arrived back at the camp. Smirking slightly, Sakura grabbed her pack before turning to the rest of the group; their rest time had passed, and she was ready to continue.

"We will be leaving," Pein muttered from the front of the group; his eyes darting towards Sakura. Sakura nodded before the group disappeared heading in the direction of Konoha.

XxxX

Naruto was not thinking clearly as he tore through the forest. He could not sense the person he was looking for, but for some reason, he knew where she was going. Or at least Kyuubi thought he did. Naruto followed Kyuubi's demands.

His body glowed a dark crimson as he increased his speed. Naruto had lost control a long time ago, and had not needed to stop for rest. Because of the Kyuubi, Naruto had an unlimited amount of chakra. Of course Kyuubi had told him Sasuke and Kakashi were following him, but that would not deter him from his goal. The two were so far behind him now, Naruto needed not to worry.

Naruto and Kyuubi wanted the same thing in this instant: they needed to find Sakura. Naruto needed to find Sakura to save her, and Kyuubi wanted to kill the Akatsuki for making him look weak. Together, the two of them would make the Akatsuki pay.

It was rare when the demon and his container agreed on something, but it wasn't completely unknown. Naruto had used the Kyuubi when he went after Sasuke, and the two both agreed to bring the Uchiha home.

Increasing his speed again, Naruto let out a loud howl as soon as he felt a strong chakra signature surging through the forest; the chakra signature was coming straight towards Naruto.

Naruto felt Kyuubi release more chakra as the chakra signature drew closer; taking a breath, Naruto realized how sinister the chakra signature was. And to Naruto, it seemed like the Kyuubi recognized who it was instantly.

Rage filled Naruto's veins as he continued his journey on all fours. Finding a figure in front of him, Naruto charged before he could stop himself; Kyuubi did have control after all.

The figure disappeared just as Naruto was about to pounce on him. Feeling the sinister chakra manifest behind him, Naruto turned quickly and growled at the man in the red and black cloud cloak.

"I see Kyuubi still seems to remember me," Madara said fondly as he looked to the crimson skinned man before him. Madara could feel the chakra coming from the Kyuubi, but the man could only smirk because of that. "I believe the last time we met, Kyuubi, was when I forced you to attack Konoha."

"**And forced my capture," **Naruto growled out; his voice low and dark. Though Naruto didn't completely know who this man was before him, the demon sealed inside him obviously did. And from his demon's reaction, Naruto knew he was in for one hell of a fight.

Taking a step away from this man, Naruto flashed his canines and growled again. The man before him let out a dark chuckle before taking a step forward. "I am not here to fight with you, Kyuubi," the man said as he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Not when my poor Sakura-Chan is in the hands of the Akatsuki."

"**Sakura," **Naruto let out a deep growl at the pinkette's name. His eyes glared towards the man before him, but the sound of her name kept him in his place. If he knew where Sakura was, Naruto was willing to listen no matter how hard it would be.

"They're headed towards Konoha," Madara mused as he took several steps closer to the demon container. "How very ironic, really. But yes, the poor girl is being held captured by the Akatsuki's leader. I hear he is going to _make her his _once they reach Konoha."

Naruto's growl deepened, and the crimson aura around him darkened; how dare they make Sakura go back to that place! How dare they take Sakura away from him and use her for such purposes! He was going to kill all of them.

"But we're going to be there to stop them," Madara's amused voice hit Naruto's ears, and Naruto's eyes looked directly into Madara's. The crimson sharingan began to swirl deeply within Madara's eye sockets, and before Naruto could do anything about it, Naruto was caught within the mangekyou sharingan.

Madara smirked before letting out another dark laugh; this one was huskier than the other. "We shall go get Sakura, Naruto," Madara muttered as his eyes began to swirl again. "And you will help me destroy the Akatsuki."

Naruto let out a growl of approval as his crimson colored aura darkened significantly. Instead of a bright crimson, the color diminished to a dark blackish red. Madara nodded his head in approval before the two turned towards the direction of Konoha.

"Soon."


	16. Chapter 16

So my wonderful reviewers have asked for more Sakura moments with other guys of the Akatsuki (other than Pein). I was just going to make this a hot and heavy Pein Sakura story, but I thought because everyone wanted some so badly, I would throw in some more hottness to the story too; It's only fair for the rest of the Akatsuki, right? : )

Six more reviews until 200! Thank you guys : )

And really, I don't want to leave you hanging after last chapter. Madara will be making an appearance : )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Sakura found it weird entering through the now destroyed gate of Konoha. It had been three weeks since she had last been to her village, and in that short amount of time, her village had all crumbled into ruins.

The normally prosperous village was now nothing more than ruble, and Sakura wasn't sure how she should feel about that. She thought it felt good to be in her old village, but apart of her almost wasn't fazed by it's destruction. She was trying to leave her life from Konoha in her past, because it was her past. She realized this now.

Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunade… if she saw them again she wasn't really sure of what her response would be. They were a part of her past, and she had said she was trying to put her past behind her…

Those four; no matter what she would love them. She had been through everything with those people; they were precious to her. Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Tsunade were her family.

She was a part of the Akatsuki now, but she wouldn't ignore her family if they were in trouble; she only hoped Pein would respect her choices in the future if it were to come to that. He should know the type of person she is. It would be against what she believed in to turn her back on her family; she wouldn't even turn her back on the Akatsuki.

Sighing slightly, Sakura watched as the group of Akatsuki members halted over what had once been Konoha's hospital. How ironic, really, that they stopped here of all places. This had been her home away from home for several years now.

Pein, who had been leading the group through the carnage, stood at the head of the group. Turning around, his eyes found Sakura's before he spoke. "Itachi," Pein said while looking to the raven haired man. "I want you to take Sakura to the Uchiha district and see if there are any scrolls that could help with Kakuzu's resurrection."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Itachi nodded before looking toward Sakura. Sakura's emerald eyes widened slightly as she looked into Itachi's eyes. Was it just her, or did Itachi have more emotion in his eyes than usual? Was there a spark there that usually wasn't?

Shaking her head, Sakura followed as Itachi started to head towards the Uchiha district. It had been a while since she had last been there; probably the last time had been the day before Sasuke left to go to Orochimaru. Sakura had refused to enter the district anytime afterward.

It was still a little surreal to be running next Itachi Uchiha; it was weird to say that she had been able to resurrect him. It was weird seeing him next to her, as well; she had always thought he was a cold blooded killer.

That was what she was taught in Konoha; maybe the council had been a little biased when they had told the village that, but she had believed it nonetheless. The Itachi that stood next to her was not the killer she had heard about in stories. Yes, he was cold, but there was also something different to him, too.

He was respectful, polite, and even considerate at times. After personally knowing Itachi for a couple weeks, Sakura knew Itachi hadn't done the massacre by himself. There was something in her that said that the killings would be easiest to blame on the Uchiha though, and that's what the village did. If that was the case then Sakura had one question: had Itachi ever really confessed to killing his clan?

Sasuke said he had, but Sakura felt like there was more to the story; could someone like Itachi just up and kill their entire clan? Sakura wasn't so sure.

She had been thinking a lot, Sakura had. She had been thinking about all the Akatsuki members, and she had found herself thinking that they weren't too bad of people. Of course all of them had their quirks, but Sakura conceded that she too, had quirks of her own.

Sighing, Sakura looked over to the raven haired Uchiha. His face was stoic as the two entered the Uchiha district. Sakura was slightly surprised to find most of the houses still standing; had the Akatsuki known no one would be in the district?

It would have been smart of Pein to leave the district untouched. It was obvious he was going to come back to Konoha later to go through the district; Sakura was sure there were plenty of scrolls the Uchiha family had hidden that anyone would love to get their hands on.

Sakura's eyes watched Itachi carefully for a reaction, but she was disappointed when there really wasn't one. The only thing Sakura could notice was Itachi's stiffness, but Sakura could tell that stiffness had started when they had entered Konoha.

Following Itachi down a specific street, one that Sakura remembered very well, Sakura couldn't help but frown. Why was Itachi reacting the way he was to just being inside Konoha? Was it the fact that he hadn't been here for so long, or was it something else entirely?

Sighing, Sakura continued to follow Itachi; the silence was really getting to her though. It was different when the group would be running at the top of their speed; Sakura didn't expect anyone to talk then. But now, now Itachi and Sakura were alone and walking slowly; it felt wrong not to talk.

"Um, what does the scroll we're looking for look like?" Sakura asked as the two walked onto the porch of Itachi's old house.

"Many scrolls will be in the clan vault," Itachi stated with a sigh as he opened the front door. Sakura watched as Itachi bowed his head slightly before entering the houes; that was either a sign of respect, or habit. Sakura was thinking it was the first one. "But other scrolls will be within the clan leader's room; these scrolls will be hidden well."

Sakura frowned for a second. Was he going to let her choose where she wanted to look? Shaking her head slightly, Sakura realized that maybe Itachi couldn't choose; the 'clan head's' room was his old parent's room after all. "I will search the clan leader's room," Sakura said as she, once again, looked to Itachi for a reaction. She didn't get one, however.

Itachi nodded his head slightly and started walking down the hallway. Stopping at a room, Itachi looked back and waited for her to catch up. "This is the room you will be searching through," Itachi said quietly as he continued to walk down the hallway.

Sakura's eyes followed Itachi until he was out of sight. Sighing, Sakura opened the door to the room and entered. The room was very large, but void of most things decorative. There was a bed, two dressers, a closet and a large rug on the floor.

Walking over to the first dresser, Sakura opened the drawers. Not finding anything useful, Sakura moved the dresser away from the wall and looked behind it. There was nothing there as well.

Sakura continued to look through the room for a few more minutes, and she sighed before closing her eyes. The Uchiha family would not hide their clan scrolls in places so obvious. Opening her eyes again, Sakura looked to the closet.

Walking over, Sakura quickly checked the closet over, and realized something was different. The floor inside the closet was just a shade lighter than the floor on the outside. This could be because of the disuse of the closet, but Sakura thought it was something different.

Knocking on the floor, Sakura heard a difference in pitch from the floor in the closet to the floor outside of it. The floor inside had a more hollow tone; it was almost like there was something below the floor that wasn't below the other floor.

Grabbing a kunai from her pouch, Sakura began fiddling with the floor boards. She was able to get the floor boards open quickly enough; she didn't realize that she had set off a trap as she did so. Crying out, Sakura watched as mass amount of kunai were sent her way. Groaning, Sakura tried to dodge away from them, but she knew she wasn't fast enough. Closing her eyes, Sakura braced herself for pain.

She opened them moments later to find that she had not been hit, and now, she was currently being held by something unbelievably warm. Looking behind her, Sakura found the crimson eye's of Itachi. Sakura took in a deep breath, and turned to face him; he had still not let the grasp on her waist go.

Once emerald connected with crimson, Sakura felt like she was going to lose it. He was so close to her, and his body heat overwhelmed her own. She was getting hot again, and this time it wasn't Pein's fault, it was Itachi's.

Sakura was about speak, but was cut off with a pair of gentle lips; she melted immediately.

XxxX

He had kissed her out of pure instinct. It felt like, when he was this close to her, it was all he was able to do. He had told himself he held no romantic feelings for her, but that had been a lie. She was beautiful; she was everything he wanted in a woman. But kissing her like this felt like he was betraying his brother some how; he didn't care about betraying Leader-sama at this moment.

This girl, she was his little brother's teammate; she had once said that she loved him, but right now, Itachi didn't care. His lips moved on their own accord. Slowly, achingly slowly, Itachi's lips moved from her own, and started a trail down her neck.

Itachi heard Sakura gasp, but he continued to keep it slow and gentle. He had seen how rough Pein was with her at times, and Itachi knew she deserved better.

Keeping his kisses slow and sensual, Itachi's lips and tongue moved to caress her jaw line. He had been thinking about doing this for a while, and now that he had the chance, Itachi wasn't going to give up his fantasy.

Itachi's eyes scanned her form, and he allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Her body was arching into his own, and Itachi found himself pleased with her reaction. Her hands were woven tightly behind the back of his head, and she had wrapped one leg around his waist.

She was perfect; unbelievably so. It was no surprise she had so many people vying for her attention. It was no surprise Pein had wanted to be with her either; she was beautiful, smart, strong, and so many other things.

Shaking his head from side to side, Itachi tried to not think of Pein with Sakura. Itachi smirked as he promised himself he'd try to make Sakura forget about Pein too.

His tongue soon began to mix in with his lips to tease her chin. Arching her back more, Sakura allowed more of her neck to show. She couldn't help it; he was being so gentle. How could a cold blooded killer be so gentle?

Moving her arms slightly, Sakura moved her hands to rest on Itachi's back. Her mind at this moment was completely blank; she only knew that she wanted more of whatever Itachi was doing to her.

God, she felt so hot right now. Lowering her head, Sakura's lips connected with Itachi's. The kiss was slow, agonizingly so, but it made Sakura's stomach clench because of the gentleness Itachi put behind it.

Itachi's hands moved from Sakura's waist down to her thighs. Gripping them tightly, Itachi picked Sakura up, and slowly walked her over to the bed. Laying her down gently, be slowly moved on top of her; Itachi's lips never left her own.

Sakura suppressed a small moan as she started to feel Itachi's tongue massage the outside of her lips. The sensation of his wet, warm tongue against her lips caused a shiver to roll down her spine.

This man on top of her… God he was doing some wicked things with his tongue and mouth. Their tongues had not even touched yet, and Sakura was almost anticipating the connection. Was this how good she felt when she was with Pein? She couldn't remember…

Just as Sakura was about to open her lips to allow Itachi's tongue to come through and tangle with her own, Itachi quickly pulled his head away. Sakura's eyes widened for a fraction, and she tried to catch her breath. Why had he pulled away?

Her heart was pounding, but as she looked at Itachi who quickly stood from the bed, she kind of understood. Leaning up, she took in a deep breath, and her eyes widened even more. There were two large chakra signatures coming toward them, and the two signatures were not from the members of the Akatsuki; Sakura could tell right away by their chakra.

What Sakura couldn't understand, however, was why those two were together. Her eyes widened as Itachi reached for her hand and proceeded to pull her off the bed. Itachi's hand did not let her hand go as the two of them raced outside the Uchiha mansion.

Just as they reached the back door, the front of the house started on fire. Sakura's emerald eyes looked to the now burning house, and she frowned but continued forward. Itachi's hand yanked her forward until he stopped completely.

Sakura moved to look around Itachi, but she wished she hadn't. Before Itachi stood a dark crimson, chakra burning Naruto, and Madara. Sakura's eyes went directly to the blonde, but her frown worsened. Sakura had never felt Naruto's chakra become this dark before… what the hell had happened?

Sakura's eyes turned toward the eldest Uchiha as he let out a dark chuckle. "How nice of you to bring her to me, Itachi," Madara stated with a dark laugh. Sakura could see that Madara's eyes were staring directly at her, even though she was almost completely hidden behind Itachi.

"I will not forget the fact that you have violated her, however," Madara's voice dropped significantly, and Sakura shivered at the darkness in his tone. "Even if the damage is only to her lips, she still belongs to me, and therefore your lips belong no where near hers. Pein will get the same punishment."

Without another word, Sakura watched as Naruto leapt forward. Sakura let out a yell as Itachi shoved her backward; she caught herself before she fell. Itachi dodged Naruto's attacks quickly, but Sakura couldn't help the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Why was she feeling dread?

Taking a step backward, Sakura began to summon chakra into the ring on her finger. Pein should have felt Naruto and Madara's chakra signature. She wasn't sure why they weren't here yet; she knew her and Itachi could not take Madara and Naruto on alone.

Just as Sakura's ring began to glow white, she felt a dark chakra behind her. Turning her head quickly, Sakura flipped backward, effectively jumping away from Madara's grasp. Sakura watched as the elder man smiled evilly; she knew he was toying with her.

"It really has been too long since I have last seen you, Sakura," Madara spoke as he quickly began walking towards Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened but she continued to walk backward.

Sakura heard a grunt of pain, and looked over to see Naruto connect a punch to Itachi's stomach; from Itachi's appearance, it had been one of many hits Naruto had made. Now, Sakura didn't understand why her eyes widened, and she was fighting the need to cry. If this continued, it would not end well for Itachi. Ignoring Madara, Sakura leaped toward where Naruto was coming after Itachi.

Sakura's eyes closed, but she raced forward. This was not Naruto at the moment, and if she didn't do something it would end badly. Opening her eyes, Sakura's fists blasted with a dark blue chakra.

Landing behind Naruto, Sakura slammed her fist into the back of Naruto's neck; his attention had been on Itachi, so it had been easy to sneak up behind him. She watched as Naruto's body flew through the air, and impacted through several houses.

Sakura sighed when she saw the crimson chakra fade. She had made sure to put enough pressure to get to one of Naruto's pressure points, and effectively knock the blonde out. It was good she knew enough as a doctor to stop someone without completely having to hurt them. Turning around, Sakura gasped as a hand gripped her neck tightly. There, glaring at her, was Madara. Gasping for breath, Sakura quickly looked around for Itachi.

Itachi was on the ground gripping his stomach and his head. Because of his weird chakra pattern that was beating irregularly, Sakura immediately believed that Madara had caught Itachi in a genjutsu. She cringed at the thought.

The hand on her neck tightened, and Sakura couldn't help herself as she met Madara's sharingan head on.

"How dare you," he muttered darkly as his face came closer to her own. Sakura's vision was slowly beginning to darken, and she could barely breathe. Sakura watched through dizzying eyes as Madara's mouth smashed against hers; she cringed as he pushed his tongue into her mouth, and Sakura really couldn't resist the feeling of bile and vomit coming up her throat. She had no energy to pull away, or even vomit. Closing her eyes quickly, Sakura resisted the urge to bite this man; that would only make him angrier. "You should know you belong to me!"

This man was violent, disgusting, and completely powerful. Shutting her eyes, Sakura felt her consciousness begin to slip away. As she fell into a dark, unnatural sleep, Sakura felt Madara's grip on her throat loosen.

Just as she began her fall, strong arms caught her; they were not the strong arms of the man she'd thought they'd be, however.

XxxX

Pein stood before Madara a fierce glare on his face. Sakura was protectively in his arms, and he was shaking with barely controlled anger.

Madara had done some sort of chakra hiding jutsu; that was why the Akatsuki had not been here sooner. It was only the silent chakra pulse Sakura sent through her ring that told him something was wrong.

Gripping the pinkette tighter, Pein glanced towards where Itachi lay. How had Madara been able to disable Itachi so easily? The middle Uchiha was very strong; nearly as strong as Pein himself, so why had the task of knocking him out seem like child's play?

Madara snarled fierily at Pein as his crimson eyes watched Pein cradle Sakura's body. Pein nodded to the two men beside him; he had almost forgotten them until now. Kisame leaped forward his sword slashing every where as he tried to get a hit on Madara.

Hidan also jumped ahead; his scythe was swinging from side to side, but Pein didn't care about the two men attacking the traitor before him. Looking down to the one that really had him worried, Pein frowned when he noticed a dark bruise beginning to rise on Sakura's small throat.

The bruise was of a hand, and Pein could imagine why it was there. Glaring ahead of him, Pein watched just in time as Madara grabbed the Kyuubi vessel and disappeared.

Grunting an order towards Kisame, Pein watched as the blue skinned man bent down and picked up his partner. What had just happened pissed Pein off to no end. He had used Sakura as bait, and that had back fired.

Pein knew Madara was going to act soon, he just didn't realize Madara would know Pein was waiting for him. The chakra camouflage jutsu Madara had executed had been flawless, and it had almost cost Pein his most prized fighter, as well as his most prized possession.

He would no longer risk leaving Sakura alone; she was going to stay in the hideout and heal his men, and that was it.

Growling slightly to himself, Pein nodded towards Hidan. Hidan stepped forward and Pein practically threw Sakura into his arms.

He did not like where this fascination with Sakura was going. He had gotten the girl on a mere whim; she was to heal his men, and he would use her any way he saw fit. Pein glared ahead as he began leading the way back to their hideout. He was not supposed to feel afraid at the thought of losing her… He was not supposed to, but he was. And that thought excited him and scared him at the same time.

Tightening his fists, Pein closed his eyes tightly. She was not Konan; she would never be Konan. Remembering that, Pein began walking a little faster. He needed time away from the pinkette behind him. He would be going on a mission soon, and when he returned, he would deal with the girl and his obnoxious feelings for her.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! I finally have over 200 reviews! You guys made me so happy, thank you! Seriously, this is dedicated to all you awesome readers and reviews : ) And sorry I haven't updated in a while; I've actually been updating a lot of my other stories. You should go check them out!

And, there is a new poll on my profile. Everyone please go there and take it!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Sorry it's not as long as the last one! I hope you all still enjoy it!

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Groggily rubbing her eyelids, Sakura opened her emerald eyes to face the world. Her whole body hurt everywhere, and Sakura felt an awful lot like she had a few weeks earlier. Groaning, Sakura proceeded to sit up off the bed.

Trying to remember what had happened and why she hurt so much, Sakura brought one of her hands up to rub her stiff neck. Flinching when her hand even brushed her neck, Sakura stood up quickly and walked over to the mirror.

There was a dark bruise that covered over half of her neck; it looked like someone had tried chocking her to death. Cringing as the train of thought brought up a memory, Sakura remembered everything that had happened to after the Akatsuki entered Konoha.

Madara had showed up again… and he had brought Naruto with him. He had been able to control Naruto somehow; Sakura promised herself she'd figure out what had happened, and how Naruto was even in Madara's grasp in the first place.

Sighing slightly, Sakura brought a green glowing hand up to her neck and soothed the irritated skin there. Thinking back to the fight, Sakura instantly remembered that Itachi had been injured. She didn't even know where she was right now…

Closing her eyes, Sakura's last memory was of herself; she was being choked out by Madara… Well, that wasn't the last memory. She remembered falling into the arms of someone strong, someone warm, someone who was definitely not Madara.

So maybe she was okay then? Frowning with her eyes still closed, Sakura began to sense the chakra of other's around her. Sakura couldn't help but smile slightly when she felt Deidara and Sasori's chakra signature. Good, that meant she was safe in the Akatsuki hideout then.

If she was in the hideout, then she was not in Madara's clutches. Now that she knew she was okay she would be able to check to make sure everyone else was okay.

Was Itachi okay? He had looked so human when she had saw him last; he looked so human when he was in pain, but also when they had been together in Itachi's parents old room. She didn't fully understand what had happened between the two in that room… She just knew she really wanted it to happen again.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura left the room she had been unconscious in; this was obviously going to be her new room. It looked exactly like the room she had been given at their first hideout.

Sakura left through the door. She really needed to make sure Itachi was okay. She didn't understand how he had been taken down so easily, but she did understand that Madara was extremely strong. She really needed to go check on the middle Uchiha because she was sure he would need to be healed.

Taking a left down the corridor, Sakura tried to search for Itachi's chakra signature. Usually Itachi masked his chakra to the point where no one could sense him, but right now, Sakura could feel the chakra, though it was just barely there, and that was not because he was masking it.

The weak pulse made Sakura frown as she continued her walk to his location. It was obvious that Itachi was unconscious at the moment; she hoped that Madara hadn't used the mangekyou sharingan on Itachi… he would be in a great deal of pain if he had.

Stopping when she felt close to Itachi's chakra, she opened the door closest to her. It ended up being an infirmary; Sakura could see the doctors' supplies and could practically smell the cleanness of this room.

Walking into the room, Sakura's eyes immediately went to the unconscious body of Itachi Uchiha. He lay on a cot looking incredibly weak, Sakura frowned at the sight of him.

Walking over to him, Sakura also noticed the body of Zetsu laying on another cot in the room; it was obvious she was going to be healing the Akatsuki cannibal very soon. She assumed it would be for the better; this might be the last member she would have to heal.

Once she reached Itachi, she couldn't help but tell how pale he was. It was obvious that Madara had used the mangekyou sharingan on Itachi. The thought saddened her greatly, and Sakura knew she was going to need to heal Itachi right away.

Bringing green chakra into her hands, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Weaving her chakra through his system, Sakura frowned at what she saw. His system was exhausted of chakra; he must have used all his strength to fight off Madara's genjutsu.

Concentrating harder, Sakura just tried to ease the pain and discomfort she knew Itachi felt. She could do nothing for his exhaustion, but she could make him feel comfortable as he got better. Healing his strained muscles, Sakura almost smiled when she saw Itachi's body relax.

Allowing her chakra to leave her hands, Sakura took a step away from Itachi. He needed to rest, and Sakura was sure she needed to think more. Living with the Akatsuki had caused Sakura to think a lot more; everyone here confused her.

Thinking about confusing people caused Sakura to think of Pein. She had not seen him since before she left with Itachi; how many days ago had that been? Had she betrayed him in someway when she kissed Itachi? Kissing Itachi hadn't been the plan, but Kami did it make her feel good. He was gentle, and went slow with her; it was almost like Itachi didn't want to break her in a way.

It made her feel good, but when she thought about it, so did Pein. Pein's assertiveness brought out something in Sakura she hadn't felt before. Damn those two men for making her feel all hot and bothered; they both did it to her.

Sighing, Sakura thought she would go see Pein and see if she should resurrect Zetsu today. It was both scary, but exciting that she had almost resurrected every member. After everything that happened, would Pein kill her once she was finished? Sakura didn't think so, but it was always a possibility.

Leaving Itachi and the hospital-like room, Sakura began walking back down the corridor she had just been in. Feeling for Pein's chakra, Sakura frowned when she couldn't find it. Finding Sasori and Dediara's chakra again, Sakura decided to go find those two and see what was going on.

Walking back the way she came, Sakura tried to think of why Pein wouldn't be in the hideout. One reason, Sakura thought with a tinge in her belly, Pein could still be fighting Madara… or he could have fought Madara and lost.

Sakura stopped walking when she thought of Pein's death. Sure Madara was strong, but Pein was Akatsuki's leader for a reason, right? Pein wouldn't be killed so easily by someone could he? But then again, Sakura thought Itachi couldn't be defeated so easily.

Sakura began walking again, but this time, she walked faster. Pein couldn't be dead, could he? Pein was strong, and, Sakura thought immaturely, she still hadn't thought through her feelings for Pein yet. Sakura cared, well cared probably wasn't the right word… Sakura felt some type of emotion for both Pein and Itachi.

It might have just been lust for the two, but Sakura wasn't sure. In the end, she wanted both men; they both left her wanting. They left her wanting something she didn't completely understand, but Kami, did she want more of it.

Finding Deidara and Sasori's chakra, Sakura walked into the room; it was a kind of living room, she guessed. Deidara was sculpting clay as she entered, and Sasori was reading a book. The two seemed relaxed, calm even. Sakura sighed slightly in relief; if the two were calm, that meant Pein hadn't been killed right? Who would act cool if their leader was murdered; Sakura hoped not these two.

Moving to where Sasori sat, Sakura decided to take a seat next to him. Even though she had been apart of killing the red haired man, she had also brought him back to life. Sakura could tell Sasori didn't hate her, and she assumed that was enough to allow her to trust him, just a little.

"Where is everyone?" Sakura asked while looking over to the red had. Sakura could tell Sasori knew she had entered the room; he had ignored her presence until now in favor of the book he was reading.

"Kisame and Hidan are on a mission," Sasori spoke while setting his book down. "The two went to see what was left of the Uchiha district; they went to see if they could salvage anything. Leader-sama is currently on a mission back to Rain. Itachi… is currently incapacitated in the infirmary."

Sakura let a slow breath escape her; Pein was completely okay, and on a mission. That would also explain the lack of chakra signatures from the other members. "Am I supposed to wait until Pein gets back before healing Zetsu?" Sakura asked Sasori again; she assumed he would be the most informed out of the three Akatsuki members in the room (herself included).

"Yes," Sasori said with a slight nod of the head. "Deidara and I are supposed to be there with you while you do so, however. I am almost certain that upon waking Zetsu would try to eat you."

"Lovely," Sakura said with a slight frown on her face. Looking over to Deidara, Sakura heard him snort, and saw him begin to stand.

"I guess we'll take you there now," Deidara said with a slight sigh as he looked back to his clay sculpture. The thing that surprised Sakura the most was that his sculpture was not a bird, but a flower.

Sakura remembered hearing about Deidara always sculpting birds; the sight of the flower was actually a little shocking.

Standing, Sakura followed both Deidara and Sasori out the door, and back the way she came. It was a little weird following these two, but that was probably because she had not seen the two lately.

She had gotten to spend time alone with Kisame, Itachi, and Pein, now, and two out of the three men she felt some sort of feelings for. Sakura guessed she wouldn't feel anything for Sasori, but she really hadn't spent time with Deidara yet. What if she ended up feeling something for him too?

Sighing, Sakura continued to follow the two Akatsuki members quietly. The idea that she could fall for almost every Akatsuki member was a little absurd, but it was actually possible… Sometimes Sakura figured she had the worst taste in men.

Following the two in front of her, the three of them arrived at the infirmary rather quickly. It had taken actually more time finding Deidara and Sasori than it took to get back to this room. It hurt Sakura slightly, seeing Itachi unconscious in the room again; at least she had helped most of his pain go away.

With a sigh, Sakura walked over to where the white and black cannibal lay; she had heard stories about Zetsu, but had never really met or seen the dangerous nin in person. Looking back to the two behind her, Sakura noticed that both Deidara and Sasori were watching her intently; hadn't they both seen her do the resurrection jutsu before?

Frowning slightly, Sakura started the process. Biting down on her thumb, she touched the blood to the tops of all of her fingers; it was amazing how she could remember everything only after one time. Doing hand signs, Sakura's body began glowing pink in color.

XxxX

Deidara stood off to the side as he watched Sakura work; she was beautiful. But she wasn't just another pretty face, though her face was very pretty. She had a fiery temper, which turned Deidara on; she could murder someone with just the touch of her finger, which also turned him on; and she could heal someone from the dead. Sakura was the epitome of perfect.

Deidara had been warned not to touch things that didn't belong to him by Itachi, but that didn't matter. Leader-sama was not here, and Itachi was incapacitated for a while; now would be the perfect chance to lay claim to the beauty before him.

Looking over to the red head beside him, Deidara raised his eyebrow lightly, but then quickly shook it away. Of course Sasori would also find the woman beautiful; she was rare and exotic. Deidara knew his partner would not act on it, however, because Sasori was not one to act on things in such a way.

Deidara would have to be careful, but he smirked knowingly. He promised himself he and Sakura would get some time alone tonight; she needed to learn how he felt about her.

XxxX

Sakura stepped back from the breathing body before her; she had healed him, and it had been harder than it usually was. Zetsu actually had plant DNA inside of him which caused the healing process to be slow. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura felt the pink glow of chakra diminish, and then flow to the diamond on her forehead; after all this healing her chakra reserves were actually higher than they were back in Konoha.

Taking a breath, Sakura watched as Zetsu's body only breathed; it remained still otherwise. That was strange. When Sakura had healed the other Akatsuki members, they had all awakened only minutes after the jutsu was finished. Maybe it was because he was part plant, but Sakura had a strange feeling he was pretending to be asleep still. What would cause him to do that, Sakura wondered.

Looking over to Sasori and Deidara, Sakura rose an eyebrow and nodded to the body behind her. "Do you think he is really still sleeping?" Sakura asked while walking towards the other two.

Sakura watched Sasori's eyebrow go up as his eyes scanned the body behind her. Frowning slightly, Sasori began doing hand signs. After finishing, Sasori's hands were laced with blue chakra strings, Sakura watched as Sasori connected Zetsu with ten different chakra strings.

The light blue chakra strings reminded Sakura of the battle the two had; Sakura was slightly unnerved until Sasori began explaining himself. "It is a form of puppetry," Sasori stated while walking back toward the door. "If Zetsu moves his body in any way, I will be able to know because of the chakra strings I attached to him. This way we can prevent him from eating Itachi-san, or anyone else's for that matter."

Nodding her head slightly, Sakura began following Sasori out of the room. "I think I will go make lunch; would either of you like to join me?" Sakura asked as the three started to walk back towards the living room together.

"No, thank you," Sasori shook his head slightly as he kept walking. "Deidara and I had just eaten before you awoke."

Deidara on the other hand had to fight off a smirk. "Yes," he said simply while he turned his body to Sakura. "I would love to."

He quickly looked over his head at Sasori, but ignored the heated glare he was receiving; it was none of Sasori's business any how. Deidara began walking the opposite way that Sasori was going.

Nodding her head with a slight eyebrow raise, Sakura followed Deidara to where she assumed the kitchen was. This was going to be interesting. She would be really alone with Deidara for the first time, and she wondered what it would be like.

Sasori stopped his steps, and turned to where the pink haired woman and his stupid blond partner went. Deidara really didn't know when to quit, did he? Shaking his head slightly, Sasori followed after the two; he was not going to allow Sakura to get hurt. Leader-sama had given Sasori the job of protecting the rosette, and he would definitely not fail in any way, shape, or form.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello friends : ) Sorry I haven't updated lately, I've kind of been distracted with another story idea, and I've been actually working ten hour days. School's over with now, so I'm hoping I can get to updating on a set schedule.

I promise I'll try to update every weekend from this point forward; maybe I'll surprise you every so often on a weeknight, but I think that will be pretty rare.

Thank you to everyone who has reviews thus far; I am hoping to make this story a little longer, though I do not know how much. I know I want several things to happen, but I'm still not completely sure on the ending yet… we'll just see where the story takes us : )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Sakura sighed slightly as she looked to her companion next to her; Deidara was sort of like a mystery. No, to use better terms, he was an enigma. She couldn't understand him, or his intentions at all. What would possess him into coming to the kitchen with her? She thought he didn't even like her.

Well that wasn't completely true, but she didn't think he liked her. Right after she had resurrected him, Deidara had seemed interested in her; she could read the signs, and had thought he might have been attracted to her. But then she had been blindsided by Pein's attention, and now Itachi's. She didn't want to say she had forgotten about Deidara, but he hadn't been the first one that had crossed her mind. She had a lot of important things that needed to be dealt with, and her emotions had been in the forefront of that. Deidara hadn't seemed to be that important at the time, but Sakura was slowly regretting that decision.

She stood on the inside of the kitchen, with her back to the wall; she was once again caught between a pair of strong male arms. Kami, how many times had she been in this position? Sakura was increasingly loosing count, but she still wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not. When the two had started their walk to the kitchen, it had been quiet. The quietness hadn't bothered her, but the slight smirk on Deidara's face had. When the two entered the kitchen, Sakura had started to walk towards the fridge, but she had been stopped.

A pair of hands had grabbed her, and shoved her against the door. The hands had not been rough with her, but they had not been gentle either; that proved to her that they were neither Pein's nor Itachi's hands. This was an entirely different feeling, and Sakura shivered slightly at the thought of it. Opening her emerald eyes, Sakura was startled by the mischievousness of the blue eyes belonging to the man before her; it was almost like he knew he was going to do something wrong, but he just didn't care.

Quickly Deidara's mouth descended upon her own, and Sakura's first instinct was to respond to his soft lips, so she did. Closing her eyes easily, Sakura's mouth moved against Deidara's. This man, Deidara, the enigma she had yet to understand, had proceeded to shock her once again.

Sakura could only think about Deidara as she felt his hands slip from the wall to fall on her waist. She only had two thoughts: one was she wondered what had caused Deidara to do this, and the other was she hoped he wouldn't stop soon.

The sensation he was causing her was different than that of the two other males she had been this physically close to. She wasn't feeling dominated, but she wasn't feeling as completely safe and supported she had felt when she had been with Itachi. Kami did she need time away from males…

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as her shirt began to rise; Deidara had somehow already unzipped her Akatsuki jacket without her knowledge. Feeling the warm pressure caused from Deidara's slightly calloused hands caused Sakura to shiver again; his mouth still had not detached from her own. Soon, Sakura began to feel his soft muscle easing its way out of his mouth. At this moment in time it felt like Deidara was almost teasing her, but Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care.

Moving her own tongue out of her mouth, Sakura slyly brought the two together. Deidara played with her tongue for a while, before he encouraged her to bring it inside his mouth. Once she did, he began to suck and bite down on her tongue; her spine tingled, and Sakura gasped at the feeling. Seeking the opportunity, Deidara slipped his own tongue into her mouth and began to explore the glory that was Sakura's mouth.

Sakura felt hazy at that moment; she had a lot of things running through her head, but she could not focus on them while Deidara's tongue was so deliciously playing with her own. Thoughts were blurry as they continuously came back to the man that was before her.

Gasping in surprise, Sakura's whole body quivered as she felt two moist tongues begin to tease and lick their way on the corners of Sakura's waist. Closing her eyes, Sakura decided to just go with it; her body was craving this kind of attention, and Deidara seemed happy to oblige her with it.

She had gotten used to getting this sort of attention from the males of Akatsuki; she had been dealing with Pein's attention, then Itachi's, and now Deidara's. It was weird, Sakura felt like she almost needed this type of attention.

Soon, Deidara detached himself from her lips and smirked down at the pinkette's panting form. Quickly, he moved his lips from hers and slowly began a wet trail down Sakura's neck, but, before he could continue his erotic ministrations there was a loud pounding noise on the kitchen door.

"Zetsu has started to move," it was Sasori's calm voice that woke Sakura from the wonderful spell she had been under.

Slipping away from Deidara's mouth and hands, Sakura eased open the door without glancing back towards the blond. Walking out into the hallway, Sakura looked to the red head before she started to walk towards the medical wing. She was halted when said red head's smooth hands gripped one of her arms.

Sakura looked surprised at his sudden contact, but she was even more shocked when one of Sasori's hands moved from Sakura's arm to the bottom of her shirt. Her shirt had been lifted upward, and some of her stomach had been showing; Sakura had been too quick in her attempt to get away from Deidara to pull her shirt down. Sasori lifted up the article of clothing slowly, and Sakura flinched at the piercing glare that was directed towards her midsection.

Sakura looked to where Sasori's glare was directed toward, and saw two large bruises on the side of her waist; Deidara's tongues must have gotten a little too rough with her… not that she had noticed or anything.

"Heal these," Sasori's voice commanded, and Sakura quickly did so. There was something in Sasori's voice that didn't quite scare her, but she did feel like she needed to do as he said. His tone was so commanding, and he hadn't left any room for argument.

As Sakura finished up healing her light bruises, or hickies as she liked to call them, she heard what seemed like a sound of disapproval from behind her; Deidara had followed her out of the kitchen. Ignoring the male, Sakura decided to follow Sasori before she got into any more trouble. Of course she was a grown woman and could take care of herself, but she felt like a small child under the commanding tone and disapproving glare of Sasori.

The two, well three really, quickly began walking towards the medical room; Sakura was surprised at how easy she was able to remember the trek from the kitchen to the infirmary. Soon, it was Sakura who was leading the way to the room; it was obvious Sasori wanted to glare or yell at Deidara without her being there, so she allowed the two some privacy as she quickly moved ahead.

The walk to the room was swift, but quiet for the pink haired woman; she didn't mind the quiet though, it helped calm her mind. She wasn't really sure what was going to happen when she met Zetsu face to face. She had heard that Zetsu was a cannibal with a split personality, the idea scared her a little, but she was more interested in what he was like.

Not that she would be interested in him…Kami, was she like the Akatsuki whore now? She sure hoped she didn't act like one, though, her actions probably would say otherwise. It was strange though, it wasn't like she did not feel anything for the guys she did things with: she felt strong emotions for Pein, Itachi, and Deidara. It was weird, but Sakura was starting to accept the fact that she did things with numerous people; she liked each male for a different reason, and if she would have to choose just one male in the end, she wasn't sure if she would be able to.

It was a little too early to drag Deidara into this equation; she loved how mischievous and childlike he seemed to be, but she hadn't really talked to him much. With Pein and Itachi it was different; she had been with the other two more, but that didn't mean it excluded Deidara out of anything either.

Sighing to herself, Sakura felt Sasori catch up with her; it seemed he was done talking to Deidara, and that the blond was no longer following her and the red head. Sakura was a little surprised at that; after what had just happened in the kitchen, Sakura thought Deidara would want to be by her more, but maybe Deidara was just as intimidated of Sasori as she was. It wouldn't really surprise her much.

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura felt more than saw Sasori catch up with her completely; it was obvious he was still trying to intimidate her, though she was not quite sure why. The red head's back was straight to the point of being stiff, and Sakura noticed his fists were slightly clenched; had what Deidara and her done really bothered him that much?

Arriving at the door, Sakura looked at Sasori before doing anything. He had said that Zetsu was under control of his chakra strings, but Sakura was pretty sure that the black and white skinned male would try to attack her if she was to walk through the door first; he probably didn't even know her.

Sasori must have sensed her discomfort, or just got tired of waiting for her, because he opened the door first and entered. As Sakura followed him, she felt the atmosphere in the room, and noticed it was much colder than it had been before. Was this just a coincidence, or did the dark feeling of Zetsu's chakra give her this unsettled feeling? Sakura decided she didn't want to find out as she moved to the bench where Zetsu still lay.

The male's eyes opened, and glared toward her with an unsettlingly fierce, yellow color; it seemed Zetsu was ignoring Sasori's presence in favor of glaring down Sakura. It seemed most of the Akatsuki were to give Sakura a hard time the first time she met them; well at least this would be the last time she would have to make a first impression.

Sighing, Sakura took a step closer to Zetsu and saw the male stiffen even more so than he had already been; either he was uncomfortable with her getting closer, or Sasori was tightening his chakra strings incase Zetsu would try to attack her. Either way, she was a little more wary of the man laying on the cot before her.

"I am Sakura Haruno," she spoke with a small glare towards the male. She refused to be intimidated by this plant. "Just recently you had been dead, but I have resurrected you."

"Why would you do that **girl?" **his voice took a vicious tone towards the end of his sentence. It was almost as if him calling her a girl was an insult; Sakura didn't see it that way.

"I am the newest member of Akatsuki," she said with another sigh; it had been a long day. She was growing tired of explaining things to these different males. Shouldn't this have been Pein's job? "It was an order from Pein."

"Aa," Sasori commented from beside her; it seemed like the green haired male finally noticed Sasori's presence. "There seems to be something odd about your revival; I know you were awake earlier than you had appeared to be…"

"Where is **the rest of the Akatsuki?"** Zetsu asked as he tried to ease away from Sasori's question. Sakura could sense there was something wrong here, but it seemed like Sasori was going to go along with it; well for now at least.

"Hidan and Kisame are on a mission, as is Leader-sama; Itachi is currently indisposed to your right, and Deidara is sulking somewhere in the base," as Sasori explained this to Zetsu, Sakura almost gawked at the red head; had he tried to make a joke? A sulking Deidara, ha.

"Konan? **Tobi**? Kakuzu?" Something was definitely off about this man, Sakura thought to herself. Sending a wary glance Sasori's way, it seemed that he felt the same thing.

"Konan and Kakuzu have not been revived yet," Sasori spoke. "We are not completely sure we will be able to revive those two. Tobi on the other hand, has deserted Akatsuki."

There was a flicker of something in the yellow-green eyes of Zetsu; Sakura was sure she saw it, but she wasn't sure what it was. "So why were you playing possum?" Sakura questioned quietly.

"I was **concerned about the lack **of Akatsuki presence," Zetsu said as his eyes flickered between Sasori and Sakura; was he trying to calculate something? "And I was also in a deep meditation; I was discussing something with **Master. It seems I have a mission to complete."**

He couldn't have talked to Pein yet, could he? And Sakura really didn't understand why he had called Pein master, or maybe he wasn't talking about Pein at all. That idea itself unnerved Sakura.

"Aa," Sasori stated with a slight frown as he looked to Sakura. "That would be disheartening if you cared for the Akatsuki organization as a whole; something tells me you do not."

A scary grin appeared on Zetsu's face, and Sakura felt the need to take a step back, though she didn't. Sakura looked to Sasori and noticed the red head's normally calm face was tense. "Sasori?" Sakura questioned as she turned back to Zetsu; that's when she started to notice something.

Zetsu was starting to move; Sasori's chakra strings should have prevented any movement, but it seemed like Zetsu was starting to stand. Either Sasori had still not mastered his chakra strings from being resurrected, or Zetsu was crazy strong. To Sakura, it did not look good.

"I am going to retract my chakra strings," Sasori spoke quietly to Sakura as he took a step towards her. "I need you to distract him before I can come up with something better."

Sakura nodded, not really quite sure what she was going to deal with. She had heard of many of the Akatsuki members, but she had never really heard much about Zetsu. Well, it never hurt to go into a situation with guns blazing. Drawing chakra to her fist, Sakura slammed her fist across Zetsu's face just as Sasori retracted his strings.

She heard a satisfying crunch as the punch sent Zetsu flying towards the wall of the infirmary. Waiting to hear his body slam against the wall, Sakura was surprised because Zetsu's body didn't crash into the wall like she thought it would, Sakura watched as Zetsu morphed into the wall, and the male seemed to become absorbed within the wall.

"Bastard," Sakura muttered as she ran towards the wall with another chakra infused fist. She really couldn't understand any men from the Akatsuki; they all managed to piss her off in different ways. "Who the hell is your master any way, and what are you trying to do?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, **Sakura?" **Zetsu's tone sounded teasing, and it proceeded to piss Sakura off even more. Ramming her fist into the wall about a foot away from Zetsu's head, the wall exploded.

"You are **worthy of him," **Sakura felt Zetsu's voice whisper against her ear, and she quickly turned around. Seeing the green haired man so close to her was unnerving, and it caught Sakura by surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura growled as she leaped away from the male; she needed to rethink her strategy. Maybe going in guns blazing wasn't going to work against an s-class criminal.

It seemed Zetsu had the ability to mold into something, and travel through it at will. This would cause a problem if she was to use her inhuman strength again. Deciding to switch to something just as lethal, but less flashy, Sakura began to do a few hand signs. Soon a different type of chakra began to focus within Sakura's hands.

Quickly, with both hands blazing blue with chakra, Sakura ran towards Zetsu. She gracefully threw her arm out almost as if it were a sword blade. Trying to slice through his midsection, Sakura watched as Zetsu bent backward and dodged the attack.

Sakura quickly switched directions with her hand and followed Zetsu's body as he bent backward. Slamming her fingers down on Zetsu's stomach, Sakura couldn't help but smirk slightly as Zetsu's body contorted inward, and he coughed out some blood. Zetsu landed on the floor, and before Sakura could get another hit in on him, Zetsu morphed into the floor.

Frowning, Sakura allowed the blue glow in her hands to fade away. She could no longer feel Zetsu's chakra; he must have escaped. Looking over to where Sasori stood, Sakura watched as the red head stood with his eyes closed; the ring on his finger was glowing, and Sakura knew that he must have been talking to Pein.

Within a few minutes, Sasori blinked his eyes open and looked down at the pinkette. "I talked to Leader-sama," Sasori explained quietly. It seemed like Sasori was always a quiet and calm man; Sakura had never heard him raise his voice. "He stated that Zetsu might have had ties with Madara. It seems like that was the master he was talking about, and his mission must have had something to do with you."

"Aa," Sakura said as she frowned slightly. "I was able to slice open his stomach with my chakra scalpel; if we want to pursue him I know he couldn't have gone far in the condition he was in."

"You don't know how persistent Zetsu is," Sasori stated with a sigh. "And if I know Madara he will be lurking somewhere close to this base. Zetsu needn't go very far."

"Well," Sakura started with a small frown. "Did Pein say anything else?"

"He said he would be on his way back to the base within a few hours," Sasori explained as he walked towards the door. "He also wanted you to work on Itachi a little more, if you are feeling up to it."

"Of course," Sakura said with a nod as she watched the red head open the door. "I'll get started."

"I'll gather Deidara then," Sasori stated while closing the door. "We'll start to patrol around the base."

And with that said Sasori was gone. Sakura sighed, and looked over to the raven haired male. It was hard to believe he hadn't woken up with as much commotion as she and Zetsu's fight had caused. Walking over to Itachi, Sakura brought green medical chakra to her hands, and placed them on Itachi's chest. Closing her eyes, Sakura quickly began pumping healing chakra throughout his system.

She really wanted to be distracted right now; things were becoming increasingly difficult for her. Madara, who was a horrible man, wanted her, and now he had both the Kyuubi's and Zetsu's help, not to mention Madara was a very powerful man in the first place. She was becoming worried. Would the Akatsuki be enough to stop Madara and his growing army? He seemed to have strong allies, not that the Akatsuki was weak or anything. And what of her friends from Konoha? She knew they had tried to follow after her, and that was more than likely the reason why Naruto had been captured. Sighing, Sakura tried to remember the last time she saw her friends from the leaf… she was really beginning to miss them.

XxxX

Pein sighed quietly as he made his way back to Konoha. He had found the information he had needed, and was more than ready to be back at the base with Sakura, but, he needed to do something before he could return to her. The idea that Zetsu had betray him was not something that completely surprised Pein, but he was still upset with the fact.

Now, Madara had more power, and Pein knew he would need even more strength if he wanted to keep Sakura with him. He had finished thinking in his day long mission, and though Sakura was not Konan, she was something that he desired; he had been able to gain that much certainty at least. He wanted her to stay with him no matter what.

Leaping through the forest, Pein couldn't prevent the slight smirk as he found exactly what he had been looking for. It was obvious his targets were currently resting; they were tired, and he really couldn't blame them. The three had been running after the oblivious Kyuubi vessel for several days now. The Kyuubi was now under the control of Madara, and Pein was going to do something about that.

Landing before the group of three, Pein looked at each nin individually as he tried to sum up their strength. They each appeared to be strong, though two out of the three were inexperienced. Pein didn't need them to be experienced in this sense, however, he just needed their cooperation.

"Copy nin Kakashi," Pein's emotionless voice spoke. "There is something we need to discuss."


	19. Chapter 19

Well hello again : ) I bet you're excited that I'm updating twice in one week, hmm? But I had a stroke of great inspiration, and my wonderful friend KK1KK2 has given me a lot of confidence when writing this story. This chapter is dedicated to you : )

Oh, and everyone who was waiting for some Sakura Sasori action, you're very welcome for this chapter : )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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He stood before the quiet remaining members of Team Seven. Pein knew who these three were: Sai, Sasuke, and Kakashi. He had heard of their strength, and the leader of the Akatsuki knew he would need the group of three if he was going to defeat Madara, and now the Kyuubi and Zetsu.

"I have a proposition for you," Pein spoke again as he looked to the silver haired leader. The group had been shocked into silence, and Pein had to prevent himself from smirking at the group. "As I believe you are unaware, the Kyuubi vessel is now under the control of Madara Uchiha."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Pein was surprised when he heard the youngest Uchiha speak. He thought the Uchiha had more control over his emotions, but maybe when dealing with other Uchiha's Sasuke had a problem.

"Madara Uchiha and the Kyuubi attacked two of my members the day before yesterday," Pein explained simply while giving the Uchiha a look of indifference. "And it seems another member has also defected from Akatsuki; I am willing to make a deal with you."

Kakashi had been silent until now; the silver haired jounin had not been shocked when Pein had stated Madara Uchiha still had been alive. Pein was just glad he wasn't only dealing with the younger two Konoha nin; he was sure things would have had to turn physical if the copy-nin had not been there.

"What is this deal that you offer?" Kakashi asked with a slight bit of hesitance; he knew nothing good would come out of him, Sai, and Sasuke blindly searching for Naruto as they had for the past two days. Making a deal with the Akatsuki leader, no matter how horrible the deal would be, would ultimately be beneficial to both sides.

"My offer will not make us allies, but it will benefit both sides of this predicament," Pein responded smoothly. "I can offer you this: I will stop chasing after the Kyuubi vessel as long as Sakura Haruno stays with me."

XxxX

Sakura sighed lightly as she allowed the chakra in her hands to subside. Itachi was still unconscious, but Sakura had been at least able to get him out of whatever genjutsu Madara had placed him under. She was relieved to say the least, at least Itachi would finally get some good rest.

Healing Itachi had been a long and tiring process especially after today's earlier events; Sakura knew her body needed rest. She assumed that the room she had been passed out in earlier was the room she would be residing in, so she started to head back towards it.

Now that Madara had Zetsu and Naruto, who was still under his control no doubt, were on his side, Sakura feared the Akatsuki's power would not be enough to defeat him. She knew Pein was strong, but she had also known Itachi had been strong. All Madara needed was one small slip up, and he could end the battle in mere seconds. The thought scared Sakura slightly, but there was nothing she could really do.

She would have faith in the Akatsuki; she knew they would do everything in their power to protect her, because she was one of them now. She had pledged her allegiance almost a week ago, and she was never one to go back on her word.

Walking down the hallways of the hideout, Sakura noticed there was two familiar chakra signatures coming very close to the entrance; it seemed Kisame and Hidan had finally come back from their mission.

Kisame was one of the first members of Akatsuki she had met in person; the tall blue skinned man had been frightening to her, but her instincts to save someone precious to her overtook her fear; that was how she reacted when she had saved Tsunade all those weeks ago.

She didn't know much about the man though, and Sakura wondered why that was. Kisame was one of the only Akatsuki members she had not had to resurrect. Did that mean Kisame was stronger than the rest of the Akatsuki, or was he able to preserve himself better than the rest?

Either way, Sakura decided that she needed to get to know both the blue man, and the white haired Jashin worshipper more. She had probably been the least close, if that was using the correct wordage, with those two. It wasn't as if she was searching for another male to get herself tangled in with, Sakura just really wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't assault her with kisses.

She knew Sasori could only deal with so much of her without getting annoyed. Sasori's patience wore thin very easily, and Sakura did not want to be on the receiving blow of his annoyed anger. She could talk to the red head because he didn't seem to have an attraction for her, but she couldn't just talk to him.

Deciding on what she should do, Sakura shook her head and turned around. She assumed everyone in the base would probably be hungry, herself included. She had not been able to make lunch like she had wanted; Deidara had been to distracting to do so.

Walking to the kitchen, Sakura noticed that Sasori was already there. It seemed he had not been hungry; he had previously told Sakura that. He was, however, drinking a cup of tea that smelled heavenly.

Taking a look at his tea, Sakura raised an eyebrow before walking over to the refrigerator; she would have to make tea after she had made something to eat.

The kitchen was quiet while Sakura made enough onigiri for everyone in the Akatsuki. It was obvious that Kisame and Hidan were going to be hungry after their mission, and she assumed leftovers would not go to waste in a place with hungry men.

As Sakura finished making the onigiri, she turned to notice Sasori watching her movements. When Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow at the red head, Sasori seemed to shake his head and sigh.

"You really don't have to make anyone but yourself food," he stated while his brown eyes never left Sakura's form. "Everyone will eat it, but they will end up expecting it from you."

Sakura allowed a small smile to make its way onto her face. She didn't think that sounded so bad, and it seemed the Akatsuki males were not used to a good, home cooked meal. She assumed they ordered takeout, or just made whatever was easiest. She wouldn't cook everyday, but she could at least cook every now and then; maybe the males would appreciate her more.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she felt a warm body slightly brush her own. Turning, Sakura noticed that Sasori was no longer in his seat, but was currently standing behind her. Sakura turned so that she was face to face with Sasori, and couldn't stop the small blush that coated her face at his closeness.

"If you feel the need to make everyone food the least I can do is make you some tea," Sasori commented as his arm brushed the small of Sakura's back.

Sakura was used to males touching her, well at least she was now. The way Sasori did it, however, was foreign. She wasn't used to a male accidentally touching her. Surely he had no interest in her whatsoever; Sakura wasn't even sure if he was still mad about her beating him all those years ago.

Sighing to herself, Sakura put the food she had made on a plate, and moved to walk to the table with it. As she turned however, Sakura noticed that Sasori had not moved away from her body, and was in fact, even closer to her than he had previously been. Sakura didn't know what to do when Sasori's eyes were looking fiercely into her own; she couldn't move.

"I told Leader-sama I would protect you," Sasori muttered as one of his hands began to stroke a piece of her hair. Now this was different; Sasori had actually initiated the contact, Sakura assumed he was not one to touch people without purpose. "And I had just scolded Deidara on doing what I'm about to…"

XxxX

Her kindness had done him in; when he had saw her slave away on the stove to make a meal for their organization he had been surprised. He had remembered her when they had fought previously; she had been strong, and she had not yielded in battle. It seemed she was different when she was out of battle, however.

He watched her as her soft pink hair swayed back and forth as she cooked. He had not had a home cooked meal since he had been home with his grandma Chiyo; not that he had really needed sustenance when he had been a puppet.

Sighing to himself quietly, Sasori thought back to the last time he had been interested in a female, and he couldn't remember. Sakura was intriguing to him, she could be so strong and so caring at times; he wondered what it would like to have someone so dedicated be there for him.

He had stated previously that he had not had feelings for Sakura in the sense he was thinking, but he wasn't so sure now. Maybe it was his body's reaction to seeing a nice looking female; he wasn't sure. But seeing Sakura with the bruises Deidara had given her had enraged him; he hadn't made her heal them for Pein's sake. But how many of the Akatsuki now liked her, Sasori wondered. He knew Pein and Deidara did, and he had an unsettling feeling that Itachi did too. This would not bode well if any of the previous three found out about one another.

Deciding to take a chance, Sasori stood quietly as he watched Sakura finish making the rice balls. They smelled delicious, and the fact that she had made them for him and the rest of the guys had brought a small smile to his usually emotionless face.

He slowly appeared behind her, and couldn't stop the casual brush of his body against Sakura's back as soon as he arrived. There was a force that was pulling him to this woman; it was obvious it was pulling all the Akatsuki to this woman. He really couldn't stop himself.

After telling her of what he planned to do, he watched her cheeks redden, and he couldn't resist himself. Quickly, he brought his lips to hers, and he thought they molded together perfectly. Sakura's lips were so soft that Sasori felt his heart race a little faster, but he wasn't quite sure why.

He had not been jealous of the times Pein had been with Sakura, but seeing her with Deidara had pushed him into what he was currently doing; he had been utterly jealous of his blond haired teammate, and that had caused him to lose his cool.

Sasori never acted on his feelings; he had a reputation to keep, and he pretended he was emotionless most of the time. And, that usually worked, but it seemed the blond knew just how to push his buttons. Sasori admitted to himself that maybe he didn't like Sakura in that sense, but maybe he just craved female attention.

Closing his eyes, Sasori allowed his soft tongue to escape his mouth. Slowly, his tongue ran across the bottom lip of the woman he was kissing before him. He really didn't know what he was doing; he had never really kissed anyone before, but that didn't stop him. His body wanted this female's attention, and he was going to get it.

Slipping his tongue inside of the pinkette's mouth, Sasori had to bite back a groan at the small gasps that came out of Sakura's mouth. Did she know how teasingly devilish she could be? Sasori assumed she hadn't; she was far too innocent to realize this.

Sasori moved his hands to rest a little low on her hip; lifting the woman up without detaching her lips from his, Sasori felt Sakura wrap her legs around himself. Sasori felt Sakura shiver as he leaned the female against the stove and continued to assault her mouth further.

Did all women feel as good as Sakura did against him? He wasn't sure if they did, or if he wanted to even find out. Sakura was giving him the opportunity to get to know her a little better, and Kami he was going to take it.

Pushing his body closer to her soft, feminine one, Sasori felt an unexpected reaction course through his body. His blood seemed to be pumping faster, and that was because his heart seemed to also be beating quicker. It was weird to be feeling something like this; of course Sasori's heart had pumped faster when he had fought her in battle, but this feeling was more pronounced. Sasori had felt excited for his battle against the pinkette, but he now felt even more excited.

Sasori's eyes opened and he couldn't stop himself as he used both thumbs to rub sinuous circles on her hips. It was a weird feeling, but Sasori knew he just needed to make contact with her; just needed to touch her in any fashion, and he would be content.

Moving his tongue out of her mouth, Sasori felt Sakura pant lightly against his cheek. Without detaching his lips from her skin, Sasori trailed a line of open mouth kisses toward her ear. He felt her breath hitch higher, and heard her take in a sharp breath of air. Sasori could only think that he really liked to make Sakura react this way.

A sudden pulse of chakra made Sasori halt his ministrations on the female. Taking a step back, Sasori's lips turned downward in a small frown. He had been wanting to ravish Sakura more, and would have possibly enjoyed taking their interaction a little bit further.

Looking to the pink haired woman, Sasori smirked lightly at her disheveled form; her lips were plump and swollen from his attention, and her cheeks were reddened. She looked all the more appetizing, but the event that was about to occur was important.

"Leader-sama has arrived back on base," Sasori said as his eyes trailed over the pink haired woman. Sasori saw Sakura nod her head lightly, and watched as her eyes came back into focus; she seemed to finally realize what the two had just done.

Sasori watched as Sakura took in a large breath of air, and turned around to face the stove. She grabbed the plate of onigiri, and turned back around; she didn't spare a glance at Sasori as she walked towards the table with the plate. Setting the plate down, Sakura looked back to the red head and raised an eyebrow in question.

"It was a spur of the moment thing," Sasori muttered as he started to move about the kitchen; Sakura noticed it looked like he was going to start making her tea. That sounded heavenly to her after what had just happened; it had shocked her, but she had just gone with it. This did make her a whore, didn't it?

Shaking her head side to side, Sakura decided it was time to bring the rest of the Akatsuki members into the kitchen. She assumed they would be hungry especially the newly returning Pein; she would get him first.

Exiting the kitchen, Sakura started to make her way to where she felt Pein's chakra. Raising a slight eyebrow, Sakura wondered why she felt three other slightly masked chakras with him; she couldn't quite recognize them, but they felt eerily familiar to her.

Walking over to the entrance, or at least where she assumed the entrance was (she had not been conscious when she had arrived here), Sakura fought the nervousness she was currently feeling in her stomach. Why was she nervous again? Oh yes, she had just made out with another male Akatsuki member, when she had been told that she had belonged to Pein.

She didn't think she belonged to anyone, but Pein seemed to think otherwise. She hadn't even completely thought of who she wanted to start one of those type of relationships with yet, though she was greatly leaning towards either Itachi or Pein. For some reason, she had spent more time with those two males than any others here at Akatsuki.

Sighing, Sakura questioned if she even wanted a relationship with any of these men. She was really starting to enjoy the attention she was given; she had never really gotten any male attention back in Konoha, not that she had really wanted any then. But then again, she wasn't really asking for attention now.

Turning down a hallway, Sakura felt Pein's chakra just ahead of her. Quickening her pace, Sakura started talking without looking up.

"Sasori and I are in the kitchen, and we have made onigiri and tea for lunch," Sakura said as she finally glanced upward to look at the orange haired leader. "If you're hungry."

"Aa," Pein commented as his ringed eyes seemed to look at her in amusement. "We should meet everyone in the kitchen then; I need to introduce a few people that need to become acquainted with the rest of the members."

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she looked to Pein; finally she remembered the chakra signatures from earlier. Looking behind the Akatsuki leader, Sakura's heart stopped.

"Hey Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a sad smile. The silver haired man looked defeated, and Sakura felt her heart constrict as Kakashi raised a hand in a slight wave.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered softly; she had no idea what was going on, but she couldn't help the small smile that came to her face. Without taking more time, Sakura raced toward her previous teacher and gripped him tightly in a hug. "I've missed you."

"And I've missed you too," Kakashi said with a sigh as he wrapped his arms tighter around Sakura.

"We should head to the kitchen," Pein's emotionless voice interrupted the two as they embraced. Sakura seemed to remember Pein's presence as she stepped away from Kakashi, and walked over to Pein's side. Looking back to her previous teammates, Sakura managed a small smile.

"Follow us," she said as Pein and her started to walk down the hallway. The remaining members of team seven did just that, even while giving a longing glance towards their ex-teammate.


	20. Chapter 20

Akatsuki Angel: Chapter 20

My apologies for taking so long to update this story; I've been super busy, and even when I wasn't busy I guess I just wasn't feeling the spark anymore. Sorry. But now, hopefully I'll be able to update a little quicker; we are slowly coming to an end with this story.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. The Akatsuki as well as the remaining members of team seven will get ready for their upcoming battle with Madara and his crew : ) and maybe, Sakura will get a chance to talk with her previous members in this chapter; who knows? Oh wait, I do. Bahahahahaa

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

To say it was awkward would be an understatement; the last time Sakura had seen all three of her teammates together had been when they had come to rescue her, and that had been at least two weeks ago. Plus, that incident hadn't even really ended well for either party.

Time had truly flied when she was with the Akatsuki organization; a lot had happened, and Sakura remembered all of it. From first being kidnapped to finally healing Zetsu, her life was a lot different with the Akatsuki than it had been back in Konoha. She felt more needed here, she had healed every member of the Akatsuki, minus Kakuzu; she wasn't sure if Pein had gotten enough information about Kakuzu yet or not. She understood that Kakuzu's resurrection would be more complicated because he had several different hearts, but if Sakura knew as much about Kakuzu as she thought she did, then Sakura was sure all she would need was one heart to actually heal him, and he would be able to gain his other hearts along the way.

It was complicated, but Sakura had read about Kakuzu in her free time. She had actually read about the rest of the Akatsuki from some scrolls she had found in her room. Because of those scrolls, Sakura had learned more about Madara Uchiha and Zetsu's weaknesses, not that there were many to begin with. Whatever Sakura could learn on their enemies could help in them end, and that was really all Sakura wanted to do.

But back to the uncomfortable feeling that surrounded her currently; she could practically feel her ex-teammates' eyes boring into the back of her. But after being with the Akatsuki for so long, Sakura actually felt comfortable as she walked next to Pein. She had come to terms with the fact that she would be with the Akatsuki for the rest of her life, whether it would end sooner, or later.

Sighing, Sakura shifted before following Pein into the kitchen; she wondered how Team Seven would react to everything that was happening now. Who had made contact with each other: team seven or Pein? She could see the benefits from the two teams joining forces, but she wondered how long it would last, and what the others were giving up in order to proclaim this alliance.

Feeling the three follow behind her, Sakura looked to the kitchen table where most of the resurrected Akatsuki sat looking ultimately bored. Seeing Team Seven arrive caused the group of four to stand a bit on edge.

"They are here upon my request," Pein said as he walked to the front of the table, while Sakura followed behind him dutifully. Sitting to the seat beside him, Sakura waited for her leader to continue. "Because Madara has gained more support, I have decided that Akatsuki should gain temporary allies to ensure our victory."

Sakura sat still as she watched how everyone would react; very few of the Akatsuki members seemed surprised. The only one was Deidara, but Sakura assumed that Deidara was probably the most immature of the Akatsuki; she assumed he didn't understand how powerful the two would be if they combined forces.

Sighing, Sakura looked to Kakashi before she could stop herself. There was something so off about her silver haired sensei; he looked like he had almost given up, and that thought scared Sakura.

"We will be temporarily allying ourselves with the remaining Konoha shinobi," Pein's smooth tenor spoke through the quietness of the kitchen. "This will not be permanent, but we have agreed upon a few things that you should know about.

"Firstly, the Akatsuki will stop chasing after the Kyuubi because of the alliance," Pein said with a swift nod in Sakura's direction. Hearing that, something in Sakura wanted to burst with happiness. They were really stopping their attempt on getting her blonde haired friend? Sakura thought she hadn't been this happy in a long while. "Gaining the nine tailed beasts was always Madara's goal, not the organizations. In return, there will be no more Konoha shinobi chasing after Sakura. She will stay here and remain a member of the Akatsuki."

XxxxX

"Leader-sama," Zetsu spoke as he bowed before the long haired Uchiha. The green haired male was currently holding his injured gut, though no more blood flowed out of his mouth. The sight would have made a certain pinkette smile if she had been there; she was the cause of his injury after all. "I apologize for not returning to you sooner. **Or obtaining your bitch for you."**

"That is of no concern; she will be mine shortly enough. Have you found him yet, Zetsu?" The elder Uchiha asked in a bored manner. "We will be needing his help to fulfill the rest of my goals."

"I have found his location," Zetsu said. "Shall I take you to him?"

"Excellent," Madara said with a smirk on his face. "Take me there."

XxxxX

The room had remained quiet since Pein had finished his announcement. To say Sakura was shocked would be an understatement, but then again, she could now understand the look of despair Kakashi had held when he had entered the hideout in the first place.

His choice had obviously not been an easy one, but Sakura agreed that it was for the best. Even if she was confused in this place, she was still content and safe. And if anyone could be the hope of Konoha, it would be Naruto. Sakura herself would do just about anything to save the silly blonde.

Standing from her seat, Sakura walked over to the counter she had left the onigiri on. Sakura was grateful for making extras now… at least she would have enough to feed everyone then. Sighing, Sakura walked back over to the table and gave a small smile to the group before her. "I assume everyone is hungry," Sakura said as she placed the food on the table. "I've made enough for everyone. Please feel free to help yourselves."

With that said, Sakura watched the wary eyes of the two groups before her. This was going to be awkward she knew, but she was actually happy to see her old team again; it had been too long.

The red head across from her stood at that moment and walked over to the stove. It was obvious to her that Sasori was getting the tea the two had left earlier. As Sasori stood, however, Sakura watched the Konoha shinobi stiffen; they were obviously mistrustful of the people that were in this room. Frowning, Sakura thought about trying to lighten the mood a bit; maybe if she spoke it would be better than the awkward silence that surrounded them.

"When will I be resurrecting Kakuzu, Pein?" Sakura asked as she questioned her leader. Sakura wasn't quite sure if her teammates knew about her new ability or not, but she figured they had a right to know. She was hoping Pein would even let them view the next resurrection; she knew they would be curious, and Sakura was a little excited to show them just how powerful she had really become.

"Are your chakra reserves still low from healing Zetsu earlier?" Pein asked quietly from next to the pinkette. Sakura allowed herself to raise an eyebrow before she shook her head; she appreciated his concern, but Sakura thought it wasn't necessary.

"Zetsu's resurrection held no problems; I have been storing up the left over chakra from the jutsu anyways. I think as long as I am able to get a still beating human heart, then it will work completely. Kakuzu will have to worry about finding the others."

"You're just like him now…" A dark voice spoke from the end of the table. Turning her head slightly, Sakura was surprised that the first one from her old team to speak would be Sasuke.

"What?"

"You have no care for human life anymore." Sasuke said with a heated glare. "Taking one person's life to replace another person's… are you testing your abilities out too? You do belong in this place."

As Sasuke walked out of the kitchen, Sakura didn't have anything to say to him. He had no right to say that to her… of course it was true, but it wasn't like he was one better. Sasuke had run away to Orochimaru, and Sakura could only imagine the sick things he had to do there.

Frowning, Sakura decided it was time to head back to her room. She was done with people for the day, and she was sure she wouldn't even be in the mood for Pein's attention anytime soon. Nodding her head to the group at the table, Sakura left the room without another word.

It was so hypocritical that he was the one to judge her for something she had no choice in doing… Not that she even thought about not doing it anymore. It wasn't a lie; being with Akatsuki had caused her to ignore things like karma. She had literally brought people back to life with her bare hands; things like that weren't supposed to happen. But Sakura was going to accept whatever Fate had in store for her.

There had to be some kind of drawback to using the resurrection jutsu so much; Sakura could have slapped herself for not thinking about it before. Her footsteps increased their pace as Sakura finally found her room. Maybe there would be some sort of warning on the scroll she had taken so long ago.

Once she was inside her room, Sakura grabbed her pack and quickly sifted through it. The resurrection scroll was easily the oldest and most tattered scroll in her kunai pouch. Grabbing it, Sakura softly unrolled it before taking in a deep breath.

Skipping the part she had already read, Sakura's followed the words of the next paragraph.

_However, use this scroll with caution. Whoever uses this scroll will slowly lose their life force in exchange for the resurrection of the dead. If used too many times the one doing the jutsu will lose their life. No one has survived more than three resurrections._

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as she reread the few sentences over and over again. The jutsu would cause her to lose her life force? Dropping the scroll, Sakura looked into the full length mirror in her bedroom. Did she look any different? She didn't even feel any different.

The thing that scared her even more was that she was in uncharted territory. The scroll said no one had resurrected more than three people… Sakura had now resurrected five people; soon to be six. Gritting her teeth slightly, Sakura thought about the scroll, and wondered who else knew about its consequence for using the jutsu. Thinking back, the only two who really knew about the jutsu were Itachi and Madara.

Maybe if she healed Itachi a little more, he would awaken, and then she could get a few more answers. Sakura sighed as she swiftly exited her room; trying to heal Itachi was better than doing nothing at all. Walking to the medic room, Sakura froze slightly when she felt someone else's chakra inside of the room.

What was Sasuke doing in the medical room? Realization struck Sakura hard enough to cause her to shake; why the hell hadn't she thought about this before! Of course Sasuke would try to extract revenge, again, against Itachi. That stupid boy would never learn.

Quickening her pace, Sakura arrived outside of the medic room in almost no time at all. Opening the door, Sakura's eyes widened a fraction as she watched Sasuke stand over Itachi's body; a kunai was in the younger one's hand.

"Sasuke." Sakura breathed out as she watched the younger man warily; she refused to let Itachi die again. It wasn't just the fact that she would have to re-heal him that made her think that either. She had come to terms with the man that lay slumbering on the cot before them. The way Itachi had acted throughout the whole time Sakura had known him was not in the way of a cold blooded killer. There was more to Itachi's side of the story, and Sakura wanted him to be able to tell Sasuke it this time.

Sakura watched as Sasuke flinched at the sight of her. Looking Sasuke in the eyes, Sakura realized his sharingan was flashing dangerously. "What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

"They're the ones that made you like this…" Sasuke spoke as he eyed her up critically. "He's the one that has probably tainted you."

"Sasuke, stop it." Sakura said with a frown as she took a couple steps closer. She was starting to feel very tired, and she wasn't going to put up with whatever Sasuke was doing any longer. "Right now, this is who I am, and this is who I will be for the rest of my life.

"We are under an agreement: Akatsuki and Konoha. If you so much as touch Itachi, then that agreement will be void, and then it will be even harder to get Naruto safely back to Konoha."

Sakura watched as Sasuke stood frozen; it was obvious the raven haired male had not been thinking. There was no way Sasuke would ever put Naruto's life or dream in jeopardy; at least not this time around.

"If you leave now, I won't tell Pein you were here," Sakura spoke softly as she watched Sasuke put his kunai away. Seeing him nod, Sakura let out a deep breath as Sasuke exited the room.

What would have happened if Sakura had arrived a few minutes later to this room? Looking to the sleeping raven haired male, Sakura sighed before running her fingers through his hair.

Bringing chakra to her fingers, Sakura kept threading her fingers through Itachi's hair; soon the dark haired male before her started to stir under her soft caress. Even as Itachi's eyes opened, Sakura did not stop, and she also couldn't stop herself from asking something.

"Did you know?"

XxxxX

Madara stood before the man he had been looking for; this man would be his trump card against Pein. Madara already knew he would win, even without this man's help. Madara however, wanted Pein to suffer as much as he possibly could; the man deserved it after touching Sakura.

"You were able to obtain it then?" Madara asked as his eyebrow rose. It was something that Pein himself had not even been able to find.

"Of coursssssse Madara-ssama," the dark figure across from him spoke. The dark haired Uchiha wouldn't completely trust this nin before him, but he had struck an agreement with the man, and now he knew for certain he would not be betrayed.

"I believe we shall take our leave for Konoha then," Madara stated briskly as he headed for the cave entrance. "I've been away from Sakura-Chan long enough. Let's go."

A string of "Hai's" was heard from behind him, and Madara couldn't help the sinister smirk that radiated from his face. No matter what, Madara knew he would be the victor in this battle; there would be no other outcome.

XxxxX

"S-Sakura?" Sakura stayed silent as she watched the male before her comprehend everything she had told him. She figured Itachi would know more about the jutsu's affects than Pein, but she was surprised that the Uchiha knew almost nothing about what the jutsu had entailed. Frowning, she wondered silently if she should talk to Kakashi or Sai about it.

The scroll had been locked up in the underground root building; maybe her best bet would be with Sai. Looking back to Itachi, Sakura was a little surprised when she saw the concern that had laced his eyes. She was even more surprised to find that after the concern, his eyes flashed with determination.

"I'm telling Leader-sama," Itachi spoke as he started to stand. Sakura knew Itachi was in no condition to even be moving yet; he needed to save his strength for the time Madara came. Shoving him back lightly, Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously before looking back to Itachi.

"You're not going to be telling Pein," Sakura said quietly as she took a step forward. "Resurrecting you guys was the only reason I was brought into the Akatsuki; it was the first and only real mission I was given. And when the time comes, what if we need Kakuzu's help? I am going to do anything in my power to stop Madara; if I have to give my life then so be it."

Itachi's lips crashed against her own with a fiery passion. Sakura's eyes immediately closed as she felt his arms grab her and pull her closer to him. The kiss was heated, and not like the last kiss the two had shared. There was passion and heat burning through the kiss, and Sakura melted instantly.

After a few seconds, Itachi retracted his lips from her own, and looked into her green irises. "I don't want you to die."

"There's nothing saying that I will," Sakura said with a slight frown as her eyes wandered to his lips.

"…Then I will not tell Leader-sama," Itachi spoke quietly as he looked to Sakura's face. Bringing his hands up, he cupped her face gently before giving her a small smile. Sakura smiled too at that moment, and her lips slowly descended upon his. The kiss was soft this time, and all too sweet. Sakura's lips molded against Itachi's own, but before things could get even more passionate, Sakura took a step back.

"I'm going to talk to Sai," Sakura said with an awkward smile as she rubbed the back of her neck; her cheeks were glowing a soft pink. "Maybe he'll know more about the jutsu."

As Sakura spoke, Itachi's eyebrow rose in question.

"Oh, I forgot," Sakura said gingerly. She smiled before continuing, "Pein allied us with a few Konoha shinobi; I'd watch out for your brother if I were you."

"Interesting," Itachi admitted as he moved to stand. Seeing that the male could stand without assistance, Sakura knew it was time they left each other's company.

Giving him a small wave, Sakura exited the room and took long strides to search for her raven haired teammate; if anyone had any information at all on this scroll, it would be him.


	21. Chapter 21

Soo finally there will be some action: I know you all have been waiting for it. I'm trying to slow down the fight scene a bit, because it seemed a little too fast for me at first. Tell me how you like it. Thank you for all the reviews! I'm thinking only a few more chapters left to this story.

Akatsuki Angel 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Walking through the hallways, Sakura found Sai easily enough. Whenever Sakura had been in Konoha, the young artist seemed incredibly difficult to find. She guessed Pein had given them guest rooms just out of politeness, and possibly as a way to keep them under supervision; she probably wouldn't have trusted them either. Either way, Sakura was happy that she found the raven haired man alone; she didn't think she could have managed talking about the jutsu with anyone else around.

Walking into the bedroom without knocking, Sakura shut the door immediately behind her; this was going to be a private conversation. She didn't need anyone from Akatsuki worrying about her, nor did she need any of Konoha's nin worrying about her. Looking across the room, Sakura noticed that Sai still had not looked up from the sketch pad that lay in his lap. A small smile tugged on her lips as she thought to easier times; Sai had always seemed so busy with his artwork. Only as Sakura progressed closer to Sai did he finally look up and greet her.

"Hey Ugly," Sai said tonelessly as he gave her a once over. Sakura knew Sai to be blunter than the almost unemotional man he was pretending to be. There was a question in those dark black eyes, and even though Sakura knew Sai had an idea about what she wanted to talk to him about, he seemed still mildly curious. It was obvious that he knew which jutsu she had used to resurrect the dead Akatsuki; it was the jutsu he had ultimately told her about. She was the one he had entrusted to safe guard the technique and the scroll; she wondered if he was disappointed in her.

"Sai," Sakura said with a slight frown. "I think you know why I'm here. Can you tell me anything more about the resurrection jutsu?"

"What did you have in mind?" Sai questioned easily as he pushed his drawing to the side; it seemed she was going to get his full attention, which made Sakura a little nervous. It was rare to see Sai so involved in something… he had to know more about the jutsu than she did herself; maybe that was what was causing him to look so interested in the topic.

"Recently I have read up more on the resurrection jutsu, and have read that it steals my life force and places it into the ones I resurrect. The scroll said the limit for the number of resurrections in the past have been three, but I have resurrected almost twice that amount. I haven't felt the shift in my life force… I don't' feel tired at all, but I am a little bit worried..."

"So you are concerned that if you resurrect one more person you will die?" Sai questioned slowly, it was almost like he was thinking which words he should use and how he should use them. He was censoring himself, at least as best as Sai could censor himself; Sakura was at least a little appreciative of him for that.

"Yes," Sakura nodded a little. "I know this is supposed to be a forbidden jutsu, but I know in this upcoming battle against Madara we are going to be needing it somewhere. I still have to resurrect Kakuzu, and I refuse to let anyone die from the battle against that monster. I want to make sure none of my precious people die while I could have done something to stop it."

Sai looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke. "The theory has not been tested yet, but as far as I know, your life force is not totally gone when you complete the resurrection jutsu. It is only redirected into the body that is being resurrected."

"So… does that mean when I resurrect the men, I give them some of my life force?" Sakura questioned as she thought over the idea. "It's kind of like a trade then?"

"Precisely," Sai nodded. "If you want to think of your life force in another sense, many people use the term soul instead of life force."

"So if I wanted to regain, a part of my soul, would I be able to gain it back if one of the people I resurrected died?" Even though Sakura did not like this train of thought, she knew she would have to explore every avenue. It wasn't like she was going to go around killing the guys she had just resurrected (and it's not like she could in most cases); no she was too loyal to Akatsuki for that. If Zetsu was to die, however, she was sure everyone would be totally okay with that one.

"In theory, again, you would be able to gain parts of your soul back. No one has ever tested this theory, though."

"Okay," Sakura said as she thought over her options. She still did not know her limit of how many people she could resurrect, but at least she knew a little more about the task at hand. No matter what, Sakura knew she had to do at least one more resurrection: Kakuzu. It all depended on whether she would live after that, she supposed. "Thanks Sai."

She exited the room without another word, and immediately started walking towards the medical room. She assumed that if she flared her chakra enough, everyone would understand that she was ready to start healing Kakuzu.

She had thought over the pro's and con's in the situation she was under, and she knew that if she died now, then she would at least die being semi-happy. She was still confused about whom she would choose to be with, but if she was dead, than her relationships with the men around her really couldn't get any further. As morbid of a thought as it was, if Sakura were to die, then she at least would have lived without the heart ache she was sure one of these males was going to cause her.

Pein had ordered her to heal Kakuzu, anyway, and as the loyal Akatsuki member she was Sakura would follow that order. She wouldn't tell him about the side effects of the jutsu, though. Pein didn't need to know that one.

Arriving at the room in question, Sakura was a little surprised to find most of the shinobi (both Konoha shinobi and Akatsuki shinobi) in the room already. They must have realized she was going to finish this resurrection process today, and had stayed near the medical facility. Flaring her chakra for a second time, Sakura noted the only absent members were Sai and her leader. She could clearly explain why Sai was not present; she had just talked to him. If Sakura knew Sai at all, she was sure that Sai had went back to drawing after she had finished talking to him. Art seemed to help the male decompress, and if Sakura was to live through this whole event, she knew she would have to take up drawing in her free time.

Nodding slightly towards Kakashi, Sakura fought off the frown that threatened to show. He looked so tired. Sakura hadn't remembered a time when her sensei had looked so run down, and Sakura was worried for the man's health. It took a lot out of a person to make a deal with the devil, not that she would know or anything.

Moving to the center of the room, Sakura found herself near Kakuzu's body. Her ex-teammates stood a meter or so back behind her, while the rest of the Akatsuki stood on the other side of her. It was so weird to have so many eyes on her; she was a little surprised that everyone in the whole hideout could fit into the small medical room.

With a swift opening of the door, Pein entered the room quickly followed shortly by Sai. Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the thought of the two entering together; did it mean something? Watching Pein, she noticed he looked stoic, and seemed to be unfazed; she hoped that meant that Sai had chosen not to tell her leader about the jutsu then.

Smiling slightly, she turned to look at Pein again; this time he stood across from her. Pein stood calmly; a familiar looking container in his large calloused hands. Those hands had been able to obtain a still beating heart thanks to Sasori's old heart container. She didn't dare question where he had gotten the heart because Sakura herself didn't have the heart to know. But Sakura had been the one to ask for this. This is what she needed to resurrect Kakuzu. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura bit her thumb finger and began to spread the blood to all of her fingers.

She idly wondered if her old sensei had seen this jutsu before, it would not surprise her. After her blood was placed on all ten of her fingers, Sakura immediately started to do hand signs. The hand signs were so easy to remember now, even though they lasted a while. Dog, ram, boar, horse, dog, ram, tiger, ram, horse, snake… and so on.

As Sakura finished her last hand sign she felt the pink chakra flicker over her body. Sakura knew at once that the pink chakra, was actually not chakra, but her life force; her soul. It was weird to think that she had this much left… after everything. It was stupid to compare the first time she had done the jutsu to now, but Sakura could only feel a slight difference in the amount of power she was experiencing. Other than that, Sakura could sense no unwanted side effects that would possibly lead to her death; this resurrection seemed just like the previous five.

Taking a moment to look behind her, Sakura noticed Kakashi's eye as it narrowed; so he did know what she was doing? It didn't matter, Sakura thought as she placed her hands on Kakuzu's body, this was the last time she was going to use this jutsu… hopefully.

It was a kind of promise she had made to herself before walking into the room. The only way she would break that promise was if something happened to one of her precious people; she would do whatever it took to heal them then.

Bringing a hand up, Sakura grabbed the container in which Kakuzu's new heart resided. Sakura did not flinch as she opened the container, and practically dropped the new heart inside of Kakuzu's body. Connecting the heart valves to the arteries, Sakura was so entranced by what she was doing, she didn't even feel the large earth quake that shook the building..

"It is time, then," Pein's voice rang out as he looked to everyone in the room. The group had been biding their time until Madara had showed up, and it appeared now was the time. They could easily feel the dark man's chakra signature outside. Pein's ringed eyes looked to Sakura's emerald as she finally felt the sinister chakra that came from outside. "Finish up, then stay inside the base. That is an order. Get Kakuzu up as quickly as possible. Send him outside."

Sakura's eyes widened but before she could protest her leader as well as the rest of the shinobi in the room started to head out the door. No one even questioned or fought the idea of her staying inside… of her staying away from the battle. Frowning, Sakura pushed a little more pink light into Kakuzu's body.

Once again, she was being treated like she was some fragile little girl. The thought irked her more so because the order was from Pein; it had not even come from her previous teammates (she had expected as much from them), but not Pein. Hadn't Pein been the one to trust her enough to protect his men? So much for putting his faith into her abilities, Sakura thought bitterly.

Concentrating on the body before her, Sakura found it increasingly difficult. She could feel all the strong chakra signatures that were outside; it made her nervous, and made her even more determined to finish up with Kakuzu here. Pushing more pink light into Kakuzu, Sakura thought to the battle starting outside. She would be there soon, she was sure of it.

* * *

He stood across the field from five shadowy figures, and even though he was facing a man who wanted him dead, all Pein could do was sigh. He was growing tired of the games Madara was playing with him. And if Pein questioned Madara about it, he would surely know what the orange haired man was talking about. Pein could easily tell who the first four ninja's identity… it was the last one that was giving him the most trouble. Madara, Zetsu, Kabuto, and a still kyuubi chakra-powered Naruto were the four he knew.

The latter three were racing past him at the present; Pein didn't even worry about the men behind him. It was obvious Madara and Pein were to settle this battle leader to leader. It confused him however, that there was still one person that had not charged ahead; one person besides Madara that still stood before him.

Following the curved lines of the stranger's body, he immediately determined the person to be female. She was slim, but strong; he could tell she was a kunochi straight away. Pein cursed the shadows of the setting sun as he tried to identify the mysterious woman, though the black cloak she was surrounded in did not help him either. Pein's rinnegan did not detect any chakra coming from the woman, making the whole situation even stranger.

Taking a step forward, Pein looked to Madara in question before he saw the sinister smirk that was plastered to the man's face. The look irritated Pein to no end; what was he so amused with?

"I find it hard to believe you do not know the identity of our fifth member," Madara spoke silkily as his eyes traveled across the shinobi that battled behind him. Pein froze at the words of his previous leader: he had known this woman? "Of course, you are a little too infatuated with another woman at present, so I'm guessing it would be easy to forget the one you had loved before."

As Madara's words left his mouth, Pein's eyes darted to the woman as she stepped forward into the light of the setting sun. Slowly, she dropped the hood that covered her cobalt colored hair, making Pein freeze even more at the sight. This had to be some kind of sick joke, because this couldn't be real.

It was Konan… his Konan. It was his previous angel. She was standing right in front of him, and Pein felt the sudden urge to go to her. Taking in her appearance, he noted that she was under some sort of resurrection jutsu. Her face, though still unbelievably beautiful, was completely marred with scratches. It was almost as if someone hadn't even pieced her together before calling her back from the dead.

It was obviously a sick joke of Madara's, and the thought that Pein had allowed this to happen to Konan made him cringe slightly with disgust.

Looking behind him to the group of three enemy shinobi, his eyes immediately narrowed at the silver haired man who was currently fighting Sasuke, Hidan, and Sasori. This was why he had not been able to find Konan's body after the attack; she had already been taken by someone else.

"You seem surprised Pein," Madara spoke with mild amusement in his voice. "Surprised and angry; I'm sure you believed you would not see Konan again. Would you like to embrace her? I'm sure she would allow it."

Pein ignored the elder Uchiha's words as he took light but determined steps towards his previous lover. He didn't even think about how his next actions were going to be perceived; the man just acted. He didn't even have time to contemplate how Sakura would react to all this. His mind was only on Konan, this woman always caused him to feel this way.

He stood in front of her only seconds later, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He ignored the smell of grave yard soil and decay; she had not been buried properly. Gripping onto her tighter, he felt the blue haired woman start to respond to him back. Her arms slowly started to skim his back as they made their journey to the base of his neck.

She was not alive, he could feel no heart beat against his chest, and the thought that she was dead in his arms made him frown slightly. He had not done his job as her leader; he had not been able to protect her. He silently promised to Konan that he would never repeat this mistake again; he would protect his new angel with his life.

Pein closed his eyes and leaned in towards the woman in front of him; he promised himself this would be the last time he held her like this, and Pein wanted to enjoy it a little longer. As Pein's arms began to loosen from Konan's body, he felt Konan's body flinch. Frowning, Pein's eyes opened and he felt a flicker of chakra exit the hideout.

"Pein!" Sakura's voice sounded urgent, and closer than what he would have liked. He had told the woman to stay inside; having her outside only complicated matters more. Seconds later, Sakura's body rammed against his own, and he was pushed several feet away from Konan. Pein's eyes narrowed as he looked to the pinkette, before he noticed her new position.

Sakura was standing with a kunai drawn, and was currently protecting herself from the blow which he would have received had she not shoved him out of the way. Konan had created a sharp origami sword; realization was shown clear in his eyes. He had seen this attack before; the blue haired woman could create a sword in a second flat, and it was something she liked to use during a personal kill. "Konan?" Pein asked in a voice that meant no argument.

"She can no longer control her own actions," Sakura spoke out carefully as she leaped backwards, away from the sharp origami birds that flew towards her. Watching the two of them fight like this… Pein did not like the feeling that was settling in his belly. "This is Kabuto's jutsu: the dance of the dead."

Pein stilled entirely as he looked to Konan, and then to Sakura. "I will handle this; go back inside."

Sakura's gut wretched at the feeling this situation was giving her. Pein was looking to the blue haired woman now, and Sakura could see the look in his eyes. Sakura was almost sure he had never given her that look before…

Taking a step back, Sakura's mind reeled as she ignored the other battles and looked directly at the man with the orange hair. This stabbing pain in her stomach: she noticed he had caused this feeling. Had he never really cared about her? The way he had just treated her would seem to confirm that her previous thought would have been correct. To her it looked like Pein was still very much in love with Konan.

Taking another step back, Sakura's body halted when she watched the eldest living Uchiha move. He was in front of Pein in what seemed like an instant; a wild look was in the man's eyes, and Sakura was more than concerned for Pein's safety.

"Why don't we let the girl's fight this one out, hmm?" Madara questioned as he threw a kunai towards Pein. Pein dodged the offending item easily, though the object seemed to do what Madara had intended. Pein was moving back away from where Konan and Sakura now stood staring at each other. His gut twisted again, but he as Madara came towards him again, Pein knew he would have to pay attention to his own battle.

"Don't kill her Konan," Madara spoke easily as he drove Pein further away from the two females. "I have reasons for needing her around."


	22. Chapter 22

Akatsuki Angel 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

How's this for a quick update? Hopefully I will be able to update just as quickly next time; I know you all will be mad at me again for where I ended this chapter, but I do enjoy leaving you guys at the edge of your seats. It makes you guys all the more excited for the next chapter, and it makes me all the more excited to write it. : ) 11 more reviews to 300. Thank you.

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Sakura watched the blue haired woman from across her with calculating eyes. The woman had yet to move, but that wasn't really why Sakura had been watching her. Konan was simply beautiful, and Sakura could truly understand why Pein had loved this person. Her electric blue hair fell softly to below her chin; the hair after death looked even silky in texture. Sakura also knew that Konan would have had unbelievably soft skin. The small piercing below her lip also did not go unnoticed by the pinkette… it seemed to tie the two together even more.

Of course Sakura wasn't stupid; she knew Pein had a past with Konan that Sakura would never have with the orange haired leader. But she also knew that despite everything now, Konan was dead, and Pein would never be able to feel the connection again with her. She knew this because Kabuto's resurrection jutsu was not like her own.

Kabuto's jutsu only simulated life. There was no heart beat in the person the jutsu was done on; the blood didn't flow through the person's veins. Konan was still very much dead, even though she was standing and moving. She was not moving of her own accord. She was being used as a puppet.

Kabuto's chakra was controlling her, and even though Sakura could not feel the chakra within Konan's system, she knew it was there. There was no way she would have been able to move otherwise. Sakura knew of two ways to fix this situation; two ways to put Konan to rest. Either she would have to fight and destroy Konan; Sakura would have to destroy her body in order for her not to be brought back again. Or she would have to kill Kabuto. If Kabuto was dead, then the jutsu would be void, and there would be no more chakra to force Konan to bend to his will.

But… there again presented another problem. Sakura would not be able to resurrect Konan. Sakura had not even been able to resurrect Kakuzu. Something had gone terribly wrong during her attempt at the stitched man's resurrection. She had started to put more and more pink light into the man's body, but as she did so, she felt more and more tired. She hadn't been able to finish the jutsu, because she had been afraid she would have lost her life.

Sakura knew she wouldn't give her life for Kakuzu; she didn't even know the man. She was also concerned with her precious people outside; she would rather give her life resurrecting them than allowing them to die. She had left Kakuzu in the medical room, and raced outside to help where ever she could.

Sighing, Sakura looked at the blue haired woman again. She had been trying to help Pein, but she was sure he didn't see it that way. Sakura wasn't going to lie; it hurt her to see Pein and Konan in that embrace. Sakura felt like the past month had been like nothing for Pein.

And Sakura was sure, if she was the one to put Konan to rest, Pein would blame her. To her, it was a lose-lose situation, and it made Sakura sad just thinking about it.

"Are you Pein's new lover?" Sakura stiffened as she heard the blue haired woman speak for the first time. Her voice was cold, and dark; she sounded lost.

"I don't know what I am to Pein anymore," Sakura said quietly enough for just Konan to hear. In all honesty, Sakura had never known what she was to Pein.

Sakura watched as the eyes of her opponent turned cold. At this instant, Sakura knew she was going to have to fight for her life; Konan wanted her dead.

"Then you don't deserve him," Konan said as she raced forward. Sakura watched as the blue haired woman made a few hand signs, and disappeared into a whirl wind of paper cranes. As much as Sakura wanted to, she knew she wouldn't be able to find Konan on chakra alone. The blue haired woman no longer had chakra because she was dead; Sakura would not be able to detect her.

Thinking quickly to a new strategy, Sakura brought chakra to her fists. She was still a little tired from her failed attempt at resurrecting Kakuzu, but that didn't matter at this point. She was sure Konan wouldn't wait for her to be a hundred percent; no ninja in their right mind would ever do that.

Bringing chakra to her eyes, Sakura quickly scanned the area around her. Konan was trying to use a genjutsu to hide herself in. Even if Konan did not have chakra, she was still using Kabuto's chakra to create jutsu. If Sakura was able to find where Konan had laid the genjutsu then she would be able to tell where Konan was hiding.

Sakura ran her eyes over the field quickly as she tried to find Konan's location. It was stupid to think Konan wouldn't attack her if she didn't find the blue haired woman quick enough. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura knew she would have to do something soon. Bringing her right fist downward, it connected with the ground. The ground beneath her began shaking, and within a half a mile radius, the ground began splitting open. This was a defensive move, even though it seemed like an offensive one.

She was trying to buy herself more time; she had no idea where Konan was hiding, and she had hoped punching the ground would bring her opponent out of her hiding place. Sakura's emerald eyes flickered around as she finally caught sight of the blue haired woman; it seemed hitting the ground had helped her this time, but it would do nothing if she tried to use the technique again.

Konan was high above the ground; she had paper wings that were flapping on her back. Frowning, Sakura was at a loss. She would not be able to win this battle if Konan stayed in the air. Sakura was not a long ranged fighter, and this position would do nothing but hinder her abilities. Grinding her teeth together, Sakura released the chakra from her hands before she started to make some hand signs.

Years ago in Konoha, Sakura had learned a few other jutsu. Bringing her hands together to make the last sign, Sakura slammed both palms onto the ground. Instantly, the ground began to shake beneath her, and Sakura waited as the ground started to move again.

In a matter of seconds, the ground beneath Sakura's feet began to rise. Slowly, Sakura was raised into the air by the ground; a giant rock pillar was raising her into the air. The technique she had just finished was called the destructive rock rising pillar justu, and though it was more of an offensive jutsu, Sakura had something else in mind entirely.

Because the jutsu created more than one rock pillar, Sakura could now jump from pillar to pillar to fight as opposed to fighting on the ground. Sakura knew Konan would still have the advantage, but at least the fight was a little fairer.

Bringing chakra to her fists, Sakura leaped towards the blue haired woman. As Sakura came closer to Konan, the blue haired woman glared. Before Sakura even had the chance to pull back her fist, Konan had already moved. Flapping her wings, Konan moved higher in the air away from Sakura's attack. Sakura didn't know what to do as she continued her flight through the air. She knew she was in an incredibly venerable spot, and she knew Konan would capitalize on that.

A few seconds later, Sakura felt chakra behind her, and she turned in the air just in time to see paper cranes being shot at her. At the speed they were going, Sakura knew the papers were being used like kunai, and if one connected with her then she was sure it would act just as a kunai would.

Quickly, Sakura's hands flew toward her kunai pouch and brought out two kunai. Flipping the kunai between her fingers, Sakura thought about the position she was in. She was still in the air, and she didn't know exactly when she was going to land on the pillar she had been jumping to. The cranes that were in front of her now were increasing in speed.

It seemed she would be on the defense for most of this fight. Snarling slightly, Sakura cut through the first crane that flew at her. After the first one, ten more flew at her next. Slicing upward and then across, Sakura disposed of those ten quickly. As her feet finally connected with the dirt of the pillar, Sakura watched as Konan sent more paper cranes toward her.

There were about twenty cranes this time, and as Sakura watched them circle her, she felt like something was amiss. Ignoring the feeling in her stomach, Sakura slashed through the first few that came towards her. On instinct, she turned quickly to dodge another crane that came at her from behind. Slashing another two that came at her, Sakura froze when one of the paper cranes she had just slashed exploded before her.

She was sent flying backwards, and as she hit the ground she let out a groan. Damn that woman, Sakura cursed as she started a few hand signs. Sakura had not been expecting that explosive tag at all… the next time Konan sent those cranes at her, Sakura knew she would have to be a little more careful.

Sakura flinched as she brought her emerald green glowing hands to the front of her body. That damn explosive tag. It had burnt the skin on her face, and had burnt through her Akatsuki jacket. Sakura was lucky she had been wearing it though; if she hadn't been wearing it she was sure the damage would have been more severe.

Standing slowly, Sakura's eyes darted to the blue haired woman as she flew in the same spot she had been before. It irked Sakura that she had only moved to escape an attack. Sakura knew if she wanted to win this battle she was going to have to be a little more serious about it.

As Sakura's medical chakra receded from her fingers, Sakura knew she would have to be a little more offensive on this next encounter. Bringing chakra to her legs, Sakura sprung forward towards one of the earth pillars she had created earlier. She was lucky that there were still quite a few left. Landing on top of one, Sakura quickly made a few hand signs before two clones appeared beside her.

She needed to rethink her strategy before she ran out of chakra. As it stood, she was running on half empty, and she knew if she wanted to win she would have to finish this soon.

Bringing chakra to her fists, Sakura charged Konan again.

* * *

Pein stood several yards away from Sakura and Konan's fight, and even though he wanted nothing more than to go over to the two women and to stop their fighting, he had his own problems to deal with. Madara was proving to be more than a difficult opponent to fight against. Pein blamed it on the fact that he was distracted, but he knew he shouldn't be.

Bringing his hands together, Pein manipulated his chakra. As he felt Madara near his body, Pein brought his hands up slowly. "Shinra Tensei."

Pein watched as Madara's clone was thrown backwards into a tree. The clone burst once it connected, and Pein chose to ignore the next clone that was sent his way. This had been what Madara had been doing… it had been overly annoying. Pein knew Madara was just keeping Pein occupied so the women to his left could fight. Pein knew this because Madara would do anything to hurt Pein, and watching the two women fight certainly did hurt him.

Glaring, Pein thought to use a different tactic. Turning to look at the battles that were going on behind him, Pein was more than satisfied to note that the Konoha nin and his Akatsuki members had the upper hand in the battles. Zetsu had already been defeated, and everyone was now focusing on the raging kyuubi and Kabuto.

"Itachi," Pein did not even need to speak loudly for the middle Uchiha to hear him. In an instant Itachi was by Pein's side. "I need you to insure Sakura's safety."

Itachi nodded quickly as he launched himself to the left. Pein had noted that Itachi had seemed to be distracted with the battle raging between the two females as well. After Sakura had been hit with the explosive tag, Pein had almost ran towards her, but he had also noticed Itachi had been about to do the same thing.

Their opponents were the only things preventing the two men from helping her. If he could send one of his men to help Sakura then he would.

He ignored the feeling in his stomach as he watched the Uchiha race to save his angel… He might need to talk to him later about this. As Pein started to pay attention to his own fight, he began to hear the sound of chirping birds.

Once Pein turned back towards his opponent he felt a brief flash of chakra before something connected with his stomach.

"You should have been paying attention," Madara chuckled callously in his ear. "Now she will be mine."

* * *

Sakura flew towards Konan with her two clones at her side. As she watched Konan begin to flap her wings to fly higher, Sakura enacted her plan (she had seen Naruto use this technique before). Sending one of her clones below her, Sakura and her second clone used her first clone's back to spring upward just as they reached Konan. Watching the blue haired woman's eyes widen in shock, Sakura took the opportunity to bring chakra into her fist.

She watched as the clone mimicked her actions, and soon enough Sakura and her clone launched chakra filled punches towards the flying Konan. Sakura couldn't prevent the slight grin as her punch connected with Konan's stomach, and sent the woman cascading backward.

As Sakura slowly began to fall from the sky, she watched in satisfaction as Konan's body collided with one of her earth pillars. The sound Konan's body made against the pillar was loud enough for the whole field to hear, but Sakura ignored everything as she waited for her body to connect with the ground. Sakura had just thrown the most chakra infused punch she had ever created, and was a little more than exhausted at expending so much chakra in a single punch. She didn't know if that would be enough to keep Konan down though.

Just as her body was about to collided with the ground, Sakura felt strong arms catch her. Looking up, Sakura looked into the eyes of Itachi, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit of relief. Sakura's chakra was dwindling, and the last punch she had just thrown had used up quite a bit of chakra. She had wanted it to keep Konan down for as long as she could.

"Itachi," Sakura was slightly confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Pein ordered for me to come and protect you," Itachi spoke quickly while he set her down. "I had wanted to intervene earlier, but had not gotten the chance to do so."

"Pein ordered you…" Sakura eyes widened a little in response to his answer. She had almost been positive Pein would have wanted Konan to be protected. I mean he had just found her after being away from her for so long. Even though she wasn't alive, Sakura thought Pein still loved Konan, and she had been sure Pein had forgotten his feelings for her. It seemed she had been wrong.

"Yes," Itachi said with a nod as he looked across the way. Konan was slowly sliding down the earth pillar. It appeared the punch had done what Sakura had intended for it to do. Konan looked to be immobile, and with some vindication she noticed Konan would not be moving for some time. "I will finish this up shortly."

Flashing his mangekyo sharingan, Itachi allowed the black flames of amaterasu to flow from his eyes. He watched as the flames encompassed Konan's lifeless body, and turned back towards Sakura.

Sakura frowned at the sight of Konan's helpless body turn to ash because of the wicked black flames. She hoped that this would allow the blue haired woman to finally stay dead; she thought Kabuto's jutsu was inhumane. As she turned away from Konan, Sakura's body froze at the sight before her.

Madara was only a few inches away from Pein, and Pein seemed to be struggling to stand. Actually, the only thing that was really keeping the orange haired man up was the Uchiha's arm that was protruding out of the back of Pein's lower back.

Somehow, it appeared Madara had caught Pein off guard. Madara had obviously used the chidori, and the result was what Sakura saw before her. Sakura watched in horror as blood began to gush out of Pein's lower back and stomach. She needed to get to him so she could heal him. Without thinking rationally, she raced to where the two men stood.

As she came closer, Madara removed his arm from Pein's stomach and allowed Pein to fall to the ground. She couldn't let this happen to one of her precious people. Bringing her hands together, Sakura quickly made two seals before she ran forward.

Two clones appeared at her sides, and Sakura quickly ordered them to bring chakra to their fists. She sent the two clones directly at Madara, while she launched herself at Pein. Grabbing the man as quickly as she could, Sakura knew immediately when her clones poofed out of existence. As she tried to get away from the dangerous area she was in, she felt a strong hand grab her shoulder. Before she knew it, she was thrown backwards, and surprisingly Pein's body went with her.

Looking up, Sakura watched as Itachi stood before looking directly at the eldest Uchiha. It had been Itachi who had moved her, and it was obvious he had done so to keep her out of harm's way. "See if you can heal Leader-sama," Itachi spoke with a warning tone to her. Even though Itachi's eyes were not directed at her, she knew how concerned he was. She had actually told Itachi what happened when she used her jutsu to resurrect someone. And she was sure he had also noticed Kakuzu was not around. This was a warning… he did not want her to trade her life for the life of Pein. But, as she looked down to the shallow breathing orange haired man, Sakura knew she would do anything to save him.

Bringing chakra to her hands, Sakura knew her own chakra wouldn't be enough. Ignoring the battle that had begun before her, Sakura brought her hands together in a release sign. The emerald diamond appeared on her forehead, and pink light began to radiate around her. Slowly, Sakura drew both her own chakra and her life force into her hands as she brought it to Pein's stomach.

She would heal Pein as best as she could, no matter the consequence.


	23. Chapter 23

Akatsuki Angel 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

I am so thankful to you all; I got 21 reviews for the last chapter, and now I have over 300! This, to me, is a super big deal, because that means I know you like my story.

I'm going to give you a little heads up: there will probably be a sequel to this story. I haven't completely thought it out yet, but I am excited to say it will be called Konoha Angel, and it will be for the people who will not be satisfied with the ending for this story. And don't worry; this won't be the last chapter.

Please enjoy!

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He understood what was happening, as he watched through slowly closing eyelids. Every time Sakura used more of her pink light, something inside of her seemed to vanish. Before his heavy eyes, she was becoming more and more weak; it scared him to watch.

Pein had fully accepted the fact that he was going to die when he had sent Itachi to aid Sakura's battle. It had been costly of him to do so, and thinking on it again, it appeared Sakura had not needed the Uchiha's assistance in defeating Konan. But, it had given Pein a piece of mind, which was worth it. Now, at least, it seemed Itachi would keep Sakura safe.

At least, he hoped, she would be kept safe. He knew Itachi would be able to defeat Madara; Pein had never seen someone more motivated to kill someone else… it seemed it was Itachi's fate to be able to do a lot of things Pein could not.

He was going to entrust Sakura's life to the middle Uchiha… and that included everything in which life entailed. His ringed eyes looked up as he watched water droplets flow from Sakura's emerald orbs. He hoped that Itachi would make her happy… he had seen the looks Itachi had given the girl.

And even though he wanted to be selfish, and wanted to be the one that made her happy, he knew that he could never be the one. He was dying, and the only thing that could have brought him back to life would die if he was saved.

Pein had noticed the absence of Kakuzu, and knew that what the leaf shinobi had told him was correct. It seemed the raved haired male named Sai had not been lying when he told Pein Sakura's life force was being used up as she resurrected his men. He was at least grateful Sakura hadn't been stupid enough to trade her life for Kakuzu's.

Pein coughed up blood as he felt his life grow weaker. He needed to stop her, but he didn't have the strength to. His eyes looked deeply into hers, but she didn't notice. It must have been destiny for the two to not be together, because after he had finally decided she would be his, he hadn't even gotten the chance to have her.

Xxx

Itachi's red eyes glared as he looked to Madara, who stood before him. He had several bones to pick with said Uchiha, and the one that was on the top of his list was Madara's part in the Uchiha massacre. Itachi knew he shouldn't have trusted the older male; it had been Itachi's one moment of weakness. If Itachi would have just carried out the order as it had been planned, then this wouldn't have happened. His mother would have still been alive, and Sasuke would have been safely within the walls of Konoha.

Sighing, the middle Uchiha also thought to another important reason to hate the man before him. Madara had a sick obsession with Sakura, and Itachi would never allow her to fall into Madara's hands. Sakura shouldn't have had to deal with the psychotic male. She was strong and beautiful; she deserved far better than the way he was treating her.

It was easier said than done in defeating Madara, however. Madara had just disposed of the leader of Akatsuki; Pein had been one of the most powerful shinobi Itachi had ever known. Itachi knew it would be hard, but he needed to kill Madara Uchiha, and he needed to do it very soon. He was sure if Pein died Sakura would have no doubts in trading her life to save Pein's. Itachi refused to allow that to happen, however.

Itachi's eyes intensified as he realized who and what he was fighting for: Sakura. This was Sakura's life in the balance here, and Itachi refused to lose… she was too important to him.

Bringing chakra to his fingers, Itachi rapidly completed a set of hand signs; he had a lot to lose if he lost to Madara this time. There would be no one coming in to save Sakura this time if he failed. The other nin seemed to have their hands full with their enemy, and Itachi knew this would have to be a one on one fight; he preferred it that way anyway.

Of course, Itachi knew Madara was more skilled and experienced than himself, but Itachi was smarter. With a level head, Itachi was certain he was going to defeat the man before him… he needed to.

XxxX

Kakashi's eye burned as fresh blood began to flow from it. Even after Zetsu and Kabuto's defeat, none of the ninja could rest. Naruto was a force to be reckoned with, even without his kyuubi chakra. Now, though, he was almost unstoppable.

As Kakashi brought a hand to his burning eye, he scanned the battle field. Three of the enemies had been defeated, leaving only two more. The two that remained, however, were the two strongest. There was something so off about Madara and Naruto being on the same team together… Kakashi knew he would have to get through to Naruto somehow; attacking an endless supply of chakra was getting them nowhere.

It was weird, but the silver haired jounin had a feeling something terrible was going to happen. Usually, he ignored his feelings, but this one raged in his gut like Naruto was raging before him. Of course, Kakashi wasn't stupid enough to believe the feeling had something to do with himself. No, Kakashi assumed it has everything to do with his pink haired student, who was currently glowing an unnatural color of pink. The pink was not chakra, he had noticed, but appeared to be something more important.

When he looked at her in the medical room before she had tried to resurrect Kakuzu, she had looked fairly normal; if not a bit too pale for his tastes. But now, the pinkette was incredibly pale; her emerald eyes were shedding tears, and it hurt Kakashi greatly to know the cause of this was the Akatsuki leader. The woman looked like she was in both physical and mental anguish, and this was for someone she had known less than a few months.

How could Sakura cry for someone like him; for someone who had destroyed their village, and killed way too many of their comrades? He was the epitome of evil, but she was crying her eyes out as she tried to heal him fiercely. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if he had only saved her the first time.

Gritting his teeth, he turned his attention to the swirl of maroon that slammed Sai back against a tree. There was one way he could try to get Naruto back to normal, but it was something he didn't want to have to use.

Allowing the other ninja to distract Naruto, he raced towards where Sakura was kneeling; he needed her help, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Kakashi had never seen Naruto act this out of control, but he did hear about a time when Naruto had lost control (though he knew it had not been to this degree). The one thing that had brought him back that time had been Sakura, and he hoped this time the result would be the same.

Landing less than gracefully next to her, Kakashi gripped her shoulders and drew her back, away from the orange haired nin. Kakashi could see that the man was slowly dying… and apart of him was grateful to Madara. Maybe he could take her back to Suna after this battle.

"Naruto needs your help, Sakura," Kakashi said as his gripped tightened. The pinkette let out a strangled cry as she turned towards the silver haired man.

"Kakashi… I can't," Sakura spoke as her eyes widened in fear; she couldn't choose between two precious people. "I have to heal Pein! He needs-"

"Naruto needs you Sakura," Kakashi spoke in a more authoritative tone. How could she even think about picking the Akatsuki leader over Naruto? "He's lost total control, and you're the only that can bring him back. He's going to kill everyone."

"Naru-to?" Sakura's emerald eyes watered more as she thought about her choices. Either choose someone who had been there for her from the very beginning, or someone she was developing irrational feelings for; for her it seemed like an unbelievably hard choice. "Kakashi, can't Sasuke-"

"Yamato told me you've brought him out of this before," Kakashi's voice was pleading with her now. "I don't think there's another option here. Naruto almost ripped Sasuke's throat out the last time he tried to talk to him."

"I can't just leave him," Sakura said while her hands were still on Pein. Kakashi's eyes glared at the other man, but he knew what he would have to do.

"I'll stay here," Kakashi's voice was unsure, but it was the best he could offer her at this point. His chakra levels were next to nothing, and he wouldn't be any help in the battle against Madara or Naruto. If this was the only thing that would get Sakura to save Naruto, then he would surely stand beside this man as he died.

"Thank you," Sakura said before she swiftly stood. Kakashi watched with growing concern as the pinkette stumbled slightly, before launching out into a full sprint. How much chakra had she already used up?

"…Don't…" Kakashi was surprised to hear the soft whisper of the man below him. Turning, he gave Pein his full attention as he watched the blood pool out of his mouth. "Let he-r heal… m-e."

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi's eyes flashed in concern as he listened to the last words the man before him would probably utter.

"S-sshe'll di-e." His voice was so quiet and hoarse, but Kakashi was able to understand him loud and clear. Sakura would die if she healed Pein, and Kakashi wasn't about to let that happen. Maybe this was why his gut had been turning as he watched his pink haired student. Now that he knew the truth, though, Kakashi knew what he would have to do.

"Is this with healing, or resurrecting?" Kakashi questioned as he watched the ringed eyes of the Akatsuki leader close.

"Res-, "and the eyes opened widely, before closing again, but this time, Pein's eyes would close for the last time.

Kakashi sat in silence as he processed everything the, now dead, Akatsuki leader had told him. Sakura would die if she was allowed to resurrect another person… did she know that? Kakashi's eyes were drawn to the pinkette, as she was now racing toward where Naruto stood. Of course, she would have to know… the damned woman just didn't care enough about herself to be concerned.

XxxX

Sakura allowed the tears to flow freely as she raced towards her lifelong friend and brother. Naruto… she needed to save him. She felt awful leaving Pein behind, but she would return to heal him as soon as she could. Right now, Naruto was the one who needed her the most. If the blonde killed any one of his comrades, Naruto would never be able to forgive himself.

To see Naruto this dark and hateful hurt her. She couldn't even remember the last time she had seen the blonde happy, and she hated herself because of that. All this pain and suffering was being caused by her, and Sakura would rather die than hurt another person that she cared for.

Bringing chakra to her fists, Sakura gritted her teeth as she felt her chakra reserves. Damn, was she low on chakra. She had been low even before trying to heal Pein, but the low level she was at now was ridiculous. She hated feeling helpless, but the chakra she currently had wouldn't be enough to even cause a dent in the chakra shield that surrounded Naruto.

Ignoring the feeling of helplessness, Sakura strove forward. She allowed the chakra to dissipate from her hands as she thought back to an easier tactic. She passed a wide eyed Kisame in a blur, and if she would have had the energy, she could have chuckled at the blue man's face.

Sakura channeled more chakra into her feet as she moved faster. It had hurt, the last time she had done this, but it had been worth it in the end. She just hoped it would be enough to bring him out of the dark…

Opening her arms wide, Sakura launched herself at the dark crimson colored male that watched her with narrowed eyes. Even if the kyuubi didn't like her, she hoped Naruto would still be awake enough to know what she was doing.

Gripping the burning-cloak of chakra that was Naruto, Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's middle, and hugged him tightly.

Even as she felt her skin burn through her torn Akatsuki cloak, Sakura never let go. It had been so long since she had last given the blonde a hug. Even in her darkest hour, Sakura knew Naruto would never left her go… so she wouldn't let him go. Even after months of not seeing the blonde, Sakura felt so much love for him. She hated to see him like this.

Crying out in pain as the burning intensified, Sakura was shocked to feel chakra cloaked arms wrap around her back.

"**Saku—rrraahh," **the thing that scared her the most, was the fact that she couldn't hear Naruto's voice anymore. Last time, she had been able to finally get through to Naruto; it seemed this time she wouldn't be as lucky.

Bracing herself, Sakura bit down on her lip tightly as she was flung backward. A chakra infused tail had flung her away easily; she could still feel the burning sensation on her stomach as her back impacted through a tree.

Sakura felt her breath leave her in the form of a scream as she was hurtled through another two trees before she impacted into a rock. Sakura had only one mocking thought before she passed out; the place she landed was incredibly familiar. It had been the place she had first met Pein…

XxxX

Itachi blinked slightly as amaterasu flew through his eyes. He watched as the black flames connected with where Madara should have materialized, but Itachi was having no such luck. The battle between the two of them had been fierce so far, and it appeared it was only going to get even more intense.

No matter how hard Itachi tried, it was like Madara was two steps ahead of him at all times. Itachi hadn't even managed to hit the older Uchiha yet, and it seemed like Madara was toying with him.

"You're not going to save Sakura by fighting like that, hmm," Madara said mockingly. "Maybe I should just kill you now, and take her back to the Uchiha district. Do you think she'd like to be deflowered ther-."

A loud scream cut off Madara before he could finish his sentence. Itachi was grateful he wouldn't have to hear the rest of the elder Uchiha's words… the thought of them angered him enough already, and it didn't help that Madara had been taunting Itachi throughout the whole fight with the snide comments. Both males turned towards the sound, and Itachi froze at what he saw.

Sakura was being launched away from the kyuubi at an incredible speed. The pinkette's scream was enough to make the whole group of ninja's pause, and Itachi felt his breath stop as he watched her.

"Sakura," Itachi found himself saying even before she impacted. Before he knew it, his legs were racing towards her. She impacted through three trees before finally coming to a stop against a large boulder.

There was a loud crack as her back slammed against the rock, and it was more than enough to cause Itachi's speed to increase.

"What the hell did I tell you?" Madara's dark voice boomed over the battle field. Madara's eyes were turned to slits as he glared toward the kyuubi. Even if Itachi was glad Madara hadn't taken advantage of Itachi's sudden distraction, the raven haired male was too concerned with Sakura to really even think on it.

In response, Naruto let out a dark chuckle. "**Don't kill her," **he said plainly while looking to the man. "**I didn't. I plan on killing you."**

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction at what was happening… had the kyuubi turned on Madara? It appeared so, but that didn't mean they were any closer in bringing the real Naruto back from the darkness. As he raced forward, the body that was laid haphazardly on the ground attested to that.

If it had really been Naruto, he wouldn't have hurt Sakura in such a way. Landing swiftly, Itachi quickly scanned Sakura for wounds, and noticed she was much worse off than he had thought. She had next to no chakra, and had dark burns around her front. Itachi knew he couldn't even move her to check her back wounds; he wouldn't risk hurting her.

Gritting his teeth, Itachi turned around and motioned for his partner. Kisame landed next to him within a matter of moments. "We need to get her out of here," Itachi stated while his eyes never left her form. "There's a medial ninja a few miles south west of here that would be able to heal some of her wounds."

"… Are we going there then?" Kisame asked a little unsure. He didn't know what to make of the situation they were all currently under. Sakura, a woman he had come to respect, was in horrible pain, and he knew that moving her would be a bad idea. But then again, leaving her here would be just as dire of a situation. Especially if Madara survived the current fight he was having against the kyuubi.

"Shortly," Itachi spoke with a nod. "I need to ensure that Madara dies before we can leave completely. And… as much as I trust you, I feel like I need to be with Sakura when she moves. Until Madara is dead, I need you all to protect her from anything. This includes the Konoha shinobi."

Nodding swiftly, Kisame's loud whistle was enough to attract the attention of his fellow Akatsuki members. The group of three appeared beside him with little effort. "We're going to wait until Madara is dead before we move," was the last thing Itachi heard Kisame say before jumping back into the fight.

The Konoha ninja were beaten, exhausted, and could barely move. Itachi wasn't so much concerned for their wellbeing, however. He knew he should have sent Sakura to Suna, where he knew the Konoha shinobi were staying. Tsunade was the best medic-nin in the world, and she would have been able to heal Sakura no problem. He knew what he should have done, but he refused to do it.

Konoha was not going to believe Itachi had been ordered to carry out the massacre, especially after all the evidence had been more than likely destroyed in the invasion. And, Itachi refused to give Sakura up; he was going to be selfish for once in his damned life, and he was going to keep her.

Konoha would not allow him to come back, so he wouldn't, and Sakura wouldn't either. She had promised her allegiance to the Akatsuki, and while the Akatsuki were still around he was going to make sure she was a part of it.

It hurt him greatly to think he would never return to his beloved home of Konoha, but then again he had been helping the village from the shadows for a while now. After this was all over, maybe he would tell Sakura what had happened all those years ago.

Watching Madara dodge a large chakra claw, Itachi halted his steps. It seemed in the little time he had spent making sure Sakura was okay, the kyuubi had already engaged Madara in battle. The two looked completely focused on one another, and Itachi wasn't sure if he was okay with that or not.

He had been the one who wanted to kill Madara… Itachi felt like he deserved his revenge against the man, but then again so did a lot of other people. Itachi watched as Naruto caught Madara with another chakra claw; the blonde in front of him also deserved a bit of revenge for what Madara had forced him into.

Even as Madara tried to control the raging nine tails with his sharingan, Itachi knew it was useless. It was only a matter of time before the kyuubi won, but before that happened, Itachi knew he would have to intervene. It had surprised him that Madara did not know the sealing technique Orochimaru had used to disrupt Naruto's kyuubi chakra connection.

Or, if Madara did know it, Itachi was confused as to why he had yet to use it. Madara was smart, and if he knew how to use a jutsu which would help him win in battle, then he would probably use it. Sighing slightly, Itachi decided it was time to strike; he hoped to catch both opponents off guard.

Bringing his hands together, Itachi made a large amount of complicated hand signs. He layered genjutsu over genjutsu, and was more than pleased to find the kyuubi had been caught in his trap. Madara, disrupted the genjutsus right away, but the extra bit of time was all it took for Itachi to take full advantage of the situation.

Amaterasu flashed through his eyes as he glared toward Madara; noticing the older male didn't have the time to dematerialize, Itachi widened his range. Just as Madara tried to jump out of the way, black flames surrounded him.

It was a sickening, but glorious sight as Itachi watched Madara's body burn. It was enough to give him closure for the Uchiha massacre, Itachi was sure. Even as blood dripped down his eye, Itachi felt a great amount of contentment, because this was finally over.

Walking over to the still chakra enhanced Naruto, Itachi quickly made a hand seal. Bringing chakra to his right hand, it began to glow an ominous purple. When he was within a foot of Naruto, Itachi slammed his hand against Naruto's stomach, and immediately the chakra began to drain from the blonde.

It was amazing to see the chakra react so quickly with the jutsu, but that was why the jutsu had first been created. Watching Naruto fall forward, Itachi was a little relieved to see the blonde hair of the boy instead of the crimson chakra. Itachi quickly turned and headed back to where the rest of the group was waiting for him.

"Wait!" It was Kakashi's voice that spoke, and Itachi knew immediately what the silver haired man wanted.

Itachi waited quietly as he stood with his back towards the man. Kakashi had overused his sharingan when he finally had finished Kabuto. Itachi turned to the fallen enemies, and noticed with a bit of interest that Zetsu was actually still alive.

"Sakura. She needs to come home with-"

"Sakura is a member of the Akatsuki, and therefore will stay with us," Itachi spoke emotionlessly as he continued to walk back to the group. "We'll leave you Zetsu to dispose of as you wish, as well as Leader-sama's body."

As he finished his walk to the group, Itachi's eyes scanned the body of the shallow breathing kunochi. He knew Sakura would be upset that he left Pein's body behind, but he wanted to make sure she would not attempt to resurrect him. He would have destroyed Pein's body, but his chakra was dwindling, and he would need as much as he had for whatever lay ahead.

"Akatsuki," Itachi's voice spoke quietly. "Move out."

And with that they disappeared.


	24. Chapter 24

Akatsuki Angel 24

Pleaseee don't be mad at me; like I said there will be a sequel I'm sure many of you will be happy with. Please just be patient, I promise if you don't like the end to this story, then you'll enjoy the next story.

Thank you for the reviews; I'm not kidding you friends, I got a total of 23 reviews for the last chapter. I don't think I've ever gotten that many for a chapter; thank you. : ) I love you guys.

Ohh, and I'm thinking the next chapter is going to be the last chapter for this story. Well, more of a prologue for the next story, and an epilogue for this one. Please Read and Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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It actually hurt him to know what her reaction would probably be, once she learned that they left Pein's body behind. It was obvious the pink haired woman cared for both of them: both he and Pein.

Itachi hadn't known the extent of Pein and Sakura's relationship, but now he wished he had. Had the orange haired man been closer to Sakura, than Itachi had been? The thought didn't enrage him, but it did make him feel a little uneasy. What if Sakura had felt more for Pein, and therefore Itachi wouldn't be able to a damn thing to help her?

She would ultimately be heart broken, but Itachi wasn't sure he could fix that. He wanted to think he could, but the Uchiha had never been amazing at comforting people.

Itachi hoped she would give him the chance to help her heal, that was at least what he was going to ask of her. In the little time he had known her, he had learned so many new things about the strange woman, and curiously, he learned a lot about himself as well. He had learned that in this new life, he could be selfish when he was faced with something he wanted. He had learned that maybe he should put himself first for a change.

He didn't want to lose that; the strength he felt when he was with her. He also didn't want to stop experiencing the new things he did when he was with her.

Looking beside him, Itachi's eyes gazed to her soft pink hair, and his mind thought to her beautiful emerald green eyes. She was someone he wanted to be with, and if he could be honest with himself, Itachi hadn't felt this way about a person for a very long time.

Looking to his comrades, Itachi could see the short journey was already bothering the group of four other males, not that he would slow down the pace for them. He had Deidara craft a clay bird to carry Sakura on; the bird was soft enough that it wouldn't disturb Sakura before they got her to the healer. She had been through enough, anyway, Itachi thought.

He wasn't as concerned with Sakura's condition as he first had been; the burns were severe, but not so much so that they couldn't be healed. And even though he still didn't know how her back was, Itachi knew it would be able to be healed as well.

Sighing quietly, he increased his speed. The faster he would get to the healer, the faster Sakura could be healed. He didn't like to look at her when she looked so beaten. He wasn't ashamed to admit that her being hurt scared him.

His choice to leave Pein and Zetsu behind was one he knew he would not regret. He didn't have the time to deal with Zetsu, who had still been unconscious at the time. He had more important matters to deal with, and the green skinned male would more than likely be killed by the other shinobi anyway.

Leaving Pein's body behind was an even easier choice than leaving Zetsu behind. If Pein's body was around when Sakura woke up, Itachi had no doubt in the world that Sakura would try to resurrect him. And Itachi knew he could never allow Sakura to give her life for someone else.

He had given a promise to Pein to protect her, and even though the orange man was dead, Itachi still felt like he needed to keep his promise. Plus, Itachi had promised himself the exact same thing on the battle field, and he refused to go back on his own word as well.

Itachi tried to ignore his thoughts as he looked to his surroundings. It was a relief to see that they had arrived outside of the healer's village. He knew he would have to explain a few things to the pink haired woman once she woke up, but Itachi felt like everything would fall into place once she was healed.

Slowing his pace, Itachi allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he looked to the pinkette. She would be awake soon, he hoped, and then he promised to explain everything to her.

XxxX

He was more than a little upset at the outcome of the battle. Kakashi had thought that there had been a strong chance that Sakura finally, finally would get to come home with him. How stupid he had been, Kakashi thought bitterly.

The battle field was scattered with bodies, some dead, some not. Standing shakily, Kakashi's eyes wondered to the ones that were not. He was not too worried about his friends, none of them were hurt too severely. Of course Naruto was lying on the ground motionless, but his chest rose and fell softly, showing at least life. It had been a good think Itachi had been there; if the Uchiha had not been there, Kakashi was sure Naruto would still be rampaging his way through the forest.

Sai too was unconscious a few yards away from the blonde. He had been attacked by the blonde, but he didn't look too worse for the wear. Sasuke was at least semi-conscious, but in the confused state Sasuke seemed to be, Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to move for some time. The battle that they had fought had been successful, but Kakashi still felt no relief. Even seeing the masked Uchiha dead yards from them brought the silver haired man no relief.

Sighing, Kakashi walked towards where the only enemy that was alive lay. To Kakashi, he thought it was more than a little unprofessional for Akatsuki to leave the ninja alive. Zetsu knew things that could make the Akatsuki organization very uncomfortable, but that wasn't the reason he was glad Itachi had left this man behind.

Zetsu had been resurrected by Sakura. Once Kakashi brought Zetsu back to Suna, he would be able to interrogate him and learn more about the jutsu Sakura had been using. If there was some way to utilize the jutsu without the harsh consequences then maybe, just maybe Konoha and Suna would have an advantage over the crimson and black organization.

And then he might even have a chance to help Sakura, Kakashi thought with a small smile. He wanted her to come home, but he wasn't worried about her. The way Itachi had looked at her… he would protect her. And as long as Kakashi was still alive, he was going to try and bring Sakura back to Konoha.

He was going to be as stubborn as Naruto in this sense, and he refused to give up.

XxxX

It hurt to breathe, Sakura thought as she first came to. The back of her lungs screamed at her, and she couldn't quite remember why. Grunting slightly to cope with the pain, Sakura opened her eyes to the bright world around her.

She had expected to still be on the battle field somewhere, because that was the last place she had remembered being. She had brought down Konan, which Sakura thought was a very difficult feat. And then she had frantically searched for Pein…

The man's name was enough to shock her memory into the later events of the battle. He had been injured, and she didn't have the chance to heal him completely before she had to try and save Naruto. Opening her eyes, Sakura slowly forced herself into a sitting position, before she was quickly pushed back down.

Glaring in front of her, Sakura was face to face with Itachi, and the fact it was Itachi made her feel good and bad at the same time; this man was not Pein.

"Itachi," Sakura croaked out as she tried to stand again. The raven haired male's hands stayed steadily on her shoulder, though, and prevented her from moving. "I have to check… Pein."

"He's gone Sakura," Itachi said softly, as he watched her emerald eyes darken. The way he said it… Sakura knew Pein hadn't just left. He was dead.

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. She was Sakura Haruno, and she refused to listen to what Itachi was trying to say to her. If Pein was dead, she would bring him back, even if she would die in the process. She didn't think she could live without him… "Where is he? Bringing him to me."

"He's not here," Itachi said while he moved one of his hands down to hold her own. He frowned when he noticed her hand shaking. "We left him at the battle field. You needed to see a medic, and that was the only thing we thought about."

Tears sparkled in Sakura's eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. She was stronger than that, damn it. She hadn't even worked out what she had felt for the orange haired man, and yet he was dead. There was a building sense of hopelessness that she felt, but why was she crying for him?

"We need to go back to the battle field and get his body," Sakura said as she tried to sit up again. Her voice sounded hoarser than when she first had awoken, but she paid that no mind. She needed to get up and find Pein; she needed to heal him.

"The Konoha shinobi took it with them when they left," Itachi told her simply as the pinkette unconsciously squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"Konoha," Sakura thought quietly. Her thoughts were so jumbled right now, it hurt. "But aren't we allied to the Konoha shin-"

"In that battle we were, Sakura," Itachi said with a quiet sigh. "There's no way Konoha would ever alley themselves with the Akatsuki, especially after Akatsuki was the organization that destroyed their village. They only did that to save Naruto."

At his response, Sakura's body only seemed to ache more. How could it end up like this? Her world was so screwed up right now, and she hated to even think about it.

"What… what are we going to do now?" Sakura asked as she allowed her tears to freely fall. Her heart, it hurt. It hurt because it was obvious she wasn't going back to Konoha, it hurt because she wasn't going to ever see Pein again.

"We'll remain an organization," Itachi told her quietly while he softly brushed his thumb against her hand. He noticed she didn't react to his touch, and he couldn't help but frown. "Even if our goal is no longer to obtain the bijuu, we will still be receiving high ranking missions from other hidden villages."

Sakura nodded her head softly, but she didn't hear anything Itachi said. She was so weak, Sakura thought begrudgingly. Once again, she had shown everyone just how weak she was by not being able to protect her precious people.

Sakura's eyes widened when she looked up to Itachi. "Naruto? Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke?"

"They're all fine," Itachi said in another soft tone. She seemed so fragile right now; it was like anything could break her.

After hearing Itachi's response, Sakura allowed herself a sigh of relief. Even if the tears still fell, at least a few people she cared about were still alive.

Frowning, she looked to the man before her. Didn't she consider this man a precious person too? She knew he saw her as a precious person; possibly his only precious person in the world. Closing her eyes, Sakura pulled herself upward; Itachi did not stop her this time.

Grabbing the male's shoulders, she pulled his body towards hers, and another wave of emotions broke free from. Her eyes let out more tears as she thought to everything, and how unfair the world was. She was the one that was supposed to be dead… Pein was the one who was supposed to be still living.

Sakura felt Itachi's hand grip her hair, as the embrace tightened. He was the only thing that was left for her now, at least in her life as an Akatsuki member. But what of the other members, Sakura wondered idly.

"What about everyone else?" Sakura asked after taking in a deep breath to calm herself. Her emotions were raging, but she needed to try and stay calm. Itachi wasn't at fault for this whole situation; he had been one of the few people that had been there for her while going through it. He shouldn't have been the one to deal with her right now.

"The rest of the Akatsuki members are fine," Itachi said as he ran his hand through her hair. Sakura breathed in his scent as he continued. "The Konoha nin were also left alive. Everyone we were fighting are all dead, with the exception of Zetsu."

It was that name that struck her, and she immediately tried to pry herself away from Itachi. "Sakura," Itachi asked while keeping a tight grip on her. "What's wrong?"

"If we kill Zetsu I will be able to gain some of my life force back, and then I'll be able to resurrect Pein," Sakura spoke quickly while she tried to detach herself from Itachi's grasp once again. Itachi's grasp only tightened however. "I can't just let him stay dead, Itachi, I care for him."

"He too was taken by the Konoha nin," Itachi said quietly; after Sakura's last sentence his heart stung.

"But that doesn't matter," Sakura said as her mind raced with ideas. "I'll be able to talk the Hokage into allow us to join Konoha's ranks. I'll be able to kill Zetsu, and then resurrect Pein. I can be with all my precious people; Itachi, it's a perfect solution."

"Sakura," Itachi's voice sounded regretful; he hated the fact he was going to crush her spirit. "Konoha would never allow anyone other than yourself to join their ninja ranks again. Even though I was once a ninja from Konoha myself, they would much rather kill me for my accused crimes than they would be to welcome me back."

She was quiet as she leaned against him; she had stopped struggling, and she had to rethink what he said before she could continue. Her mind was hazy and irratic, but hadn't Itachi just said his accused crimes?

"…You didn't commit the murders did you?" Sakura asked quietly while rubbing away the tears in her eyes. She had thought about this for a long time now, and she knew she had to be right. There was no way Itachi would kill his own clan without a reason; she knew Itachi well enough to know if he did kill them, there was a reason for it. His reaction to being in his old house was proof enough for her.

He froze one she finished her question, but almost immediately afterward he let out a deep breath. There was a reason he had fallen in love with the girl before him; she was too damn perceptive for her own good. "Yes," Itachi spoke quietly. He had already agreed to give her an explanation; he just didn't know how well it would go over. "I did kill off most of my clan."

She pulled back, and this time Itachi let her go. She looked into his eyes for a long time before she spoke again. "I don't believe you. There has to be more to the story than that."

"I killed almost every single person in the Uchiha clan that night, Sakura," Itachi said while looking down to his hands. No matter how many years it had been, Itachi still saw the blood on his clan on his hands. "I did this, because it was an order from the Third Hokage."

It was a bit of a shock to her, but Sakura had always thought there had been something wrong with the Uchiha massacre. She especially believed this after she met Itachi. She watched him as he gritted his teeth, and nodded for him to continue; she hated how vulnerable he looked.

"The Uchiha clan was planning to overthrow the Hokage," Itachi said with a small frown; he had never told this story to someone before. "They were tired of not having the respect they thought they deserved, but I refused to allow it to happen. So many innocent people would have been killed if I didn't intervene; I acted as a double agent, and told the Hokage everything. It was actually the council and Danzou's idea: the massacre."

"And you were the scape goat," Sakura breathed out slowly. She really had never known how corrupt Konoha had been; what else had been swept under the rug? "Itachi, you should have been a hero."

"I'm no hero, Sakura," Itachi said bitterly. "I killed my own kin, and the only way to keep Sasuke alive was to pretend to be the monster everyone thought I was to be. The council had been afraid Sasuke would follow the same path our father did. If Sasuke directed his hatred toward me there would be no hatred left for Konoha."

It took Sakura a few minutes of silence to digest everything Itachi had just told her. Essentially, even though everyone in Konoha believed him to be a monster, Itachi was something much more human. He had saved the village, and yet no one would probably believe him or her if they told anybody.

"We could tell Tsunade-sama," Sakura said a little lamely; she knew no one would believe them.

"With what evidence?" Itachi asked softly. "And, I don't want Sasuke to ever find out about the massacre. Konoha has enough problems without Sasuke questioning the village's loyalty. He's found his place in Konoha, and he needs to stay there."

"… So you're never going back?" Sakura questioned quietly while looking down to her hands.

"I'll never be able to," Itachi answered just as quietly. He had never thought about returning before he had died, but once he was resurrected it had been something he had thought about. Especially after meeting Sakura; he wished they could have had a normal life together in Konoha.

"What are you going to do now?" Sakura asked with sad eyes.

"I'm going to lead the Akatsuki," Itachi said with a little conviction. "I've been Konoha's alley from the shadows since the day I left, and I will continue to do so, even without them knowing."

"I don't think I have a choice in the matter," Sakura said to herself, as her spirits were raised slightly. The talk and Itachi's confession had been enough to draw her thoughts away from Pein. "But I'll help you protect Konoha too. You're precious to me Itachi. I've lost too many precious people to just leave you behind. And it seems you've lost too many precious people for me to just leave you."

While looking into her eyes, Itachi gave her a small smile. He was grateful it wouldn't take any more than that to convince her to stay with him. This was the chance he had been hoping for: the chance to make her happy. Bringing his lips closer to hers, he felt a rush of heat go through his body.

She made him happy and he was in love with her. Pressing his lips to her own he sighed in contentment when he felt her slowly respond. All she needed was time and then she would fall in love with him. He wasn't stupid enough to believe she loved him already; she was more than likely still confused about her feelings for him and her feelings for Pein.

But now, he would be with her for every step of the way until she fell in love with him; Itachi loved her too much to let her go.


	25. Chapter 25

Hey guys! I know this chapter isn't much to look at, but it's a good way to lead into the sequel of this story. I hope this has made quite a few of you happy : ) Happy reading!

Epilogue: Akatsuki Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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The man that lay before her was handsome in his own way. He had orange hair and piercings, which would make him roguishly handsome. She knew instantly why her student had fallen for him.

Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki, was dead, and his body lay before her. She had thought that the death of this man would bring her closure, but it did not. Tsunade was not one to stay bitter forever, but the pain in her heart still did not go away. That was because of her student, and because her beloved student was still not with her.

The restoration of Konoha was going well: the ninja from both Sand and Leaf were doing an excellent job in repairing the buildings in the town. The only thing that was missing was the person she had to thank most. Tsunade knew Sakura was the reason Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai were still alive. Kakashi had talked about the short alliance between Akatsuki and the four Konoha shinobi; she was sure that Sakura was the one who kept the Akatsuki honest about the exchange.

It was unfair. She didn't want the man before her, she wanted her student. And there was only one way Tsunade was going to be able to get her student back. She had thought, and tried to come up with alternatives, but she didn't know any.

When Kakashi had brought back Pein's dead body, and Zetsu's still breathing body, he had also brought back something incredibly important from the Akatsuki base. It wasn't any information on their hideouts, but it was something more important in her eyes. Kakashi had brought back Sakura's kunai pouch.

After spending days just looking at the pouch, Tsunade felt it was the right time to open it. Going through the small pockets, Tsunade was near tears when she found the necklace team seven had given Sakura for her birthday. She had wanted to stop then, but something told her to press on. After a few more minutes of searching, Tsunade found a scroll.

The concept was so easy, and Tsunade knew instantly that this was the reason most of the Akatsuki had been resurrected. She knew Sakura was capable of this, and was actually proud of her protégé for resurrecting so many men. It was impressive, especially because the men were S-Class nin. After reading more over the scroll, and after hearing Kakashi's report, Tsunade became convinced that Sakura would not be able to resurrect another person anytime soon.

Kakashi had reported Sakura's inability to resurrect Kakuzu. After discovering this, she knew her student would not be able to resurrect another person; especially the orange haired man before her.

And she hadn't killed Zetsu yet; Kakashi was still in the process of interrogating him. She would kill the man in due time, and some of Sakura's lifeforce would be returned to her. Tsunade just didn't want her student to do something stupid.

Tsunade had one option, and as she bit her thumb, and brought blood to each of her fingers, she knew she wouldn't regret her decision.


End file.
